Kindergarten-Grade 3—All of the students in Miss Hawthorn's art class draw trees that are alike, except for Willow, a rosy-cheeked little girl who paints what she sees when she closes her eyes. When the rigid, unimaginative teacher tells her that blue apples do not exist, Willow brings her one the next day. "Horrid little girl," Miss Hawthorn says. Yet at Christmas the only gift Miss Hawthorn receives is from Willow. The child presents her with her beloved art book, which begins a transformation in the dour, unhappy woman. Miss Hawthorn begins to doodle and then to paint. Pictures are everywhere. When the children come back to school in January, they discover an inspired teacher in paint-smeared jeans and smock who invites them to help her change their room into a work of art. Soft-toned watercolors contrast colorful, autumn trees with the all-the-same green ones, show snow-covered trees that "broke when they could not bend," and finally present the willow tree in the art room, which is a tribute to Willow. Expressive faces show wonderment and joy as teacher and students discover—as Willow has—the intense power of imagination. This book can be read alone or read aloud and is a solid choice for elementary collections.—
Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"Teachers aren't the only ones teaching in this picture book about a precocious girl who has her own ideas about what makes good art." --Mary Schulte McClatchy Newspapers
In dictatorial Miss Hawthorn's cheerless art room, students sit "in their rows, silent and still, like eggs in a carton" producing cookie-cutter busywork. "Everyone except Willow." --Kirkus Reviews
Willow is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. --Mom's Choice Awards
Miss Hawthorn, a strict and orderly art teacher, meets her match in the free-spirited Willow, whose creativity and kindness transform her teacher and their classroom.
--Oprah's Book Club - 2010 Kids' Reading List
Students in grades one through four were especially captivated by this story. ...The children appreciated that Willow was always unique and "thought her own thoughts" about art. --Comstock Read Aloud Honor Books 2009
"Teachers aren't the only ones teaching in this picture book about a precocious girl who has her own ideas about what makes good art." --Mary Schulte McClatchy Newspapers
<span>In dictatorial Miss Hawthorn's cheerless art room, students sit "in their rows, silent and still, like eggs in a carton" producing cookie-cutter busywork. "Everyone except Willow."Â </span> --Kirkus Reviews
<span>Willow is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.</span><span>Â </span> --Mom's Choice Awards
<div><span>Miss Hawthorn, a strict and orderly art teacher, meets her match in the free-spirited Willow, whose creativity and kindness transform her teacher and their classroom.</span></div> --Oprah's Book Club - 2010 Kids' Reading List
<span>Students in grades one through four were especially captivated by this story. ...The children appreciated that Willow was always unique and "thought her own thoughts" about art.</span> --Comstock Read Aloud Honor Books 2009
"Teachers aren't the only ones teaching in this picture book about a precocious girl who has her own ideas about what makes good art." --Mary Schulte McClatchy Newspapers
<span>In dictatorial Miss Hawthorn's cheerless art room, students sit "in their rows, silent and still, like eggs in a carton" producing cookie-cutter busywork. "Everyone except Willow." </span> --Kirkus Reviews
<span>Willow is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.</span><span> </span> --Mom's Choice Awards
<div><span>Miss Hawthorn, a strict and orderly art teacher, meets her match in the free-spirited Willow, whose creativity and kindness transform her teacher and their classroom.</span></div> --Oprah's Book Club - 2010 Kids' Reading List
<span>Students in grades one through four were especially captivated by this story. ...The children appreciated that Willow was always unique and "thought her own thoughts" about art.</span> --Comstock Read Aloud Honor Books 2009
