Because Barbara: Barbara Cooney Paints Her World
Author:
Sarah Mackenzie
Illustrator:
Eileen Ryan Ewen
Publication:
2024 by Waxwing Books
Genre:
Biography, Picture Books
Pages:
40
Current state:
This book has been evaluated and information added. It has been read and any content considerations have been added.
Book Guide
Legendary picture book creator Barbara Cooney once noticed that the library in her little town by the sea needed attention. A library, she knew, should be a kind of paradise. And because Barbara did whatever she set her mind to, she made it one.
Barbara Cooney set her mind to lots of things—none so dear as capturing the beauty of the world in her paintings. These paintings would form the settings for her award-winning picture books, including Chanticleer and the Fox, Ox-Cart Man, Miss Rumphius, Roxaboxen, and others.
Follow Barbara from New York to Maine, from the shores of Greece to the mountains of Appalachia, as she captures their beauty and creates some of the most magnificent books for children ever published.
From the dust jacket
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Sarah Mackenzie
AmericanSarah Mackenzie is an author, speaker, and podcast host. She created the Read-Aloud Revival podcast in 2014. That fateful decision resulted in a highl... See more
Eileen Ryan Ewen
AmericanEileen Ryan Ewen is a freelance artist with a background in Fine Art and Creative Writing. After spending years painting portraits, she decided to d... See more
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Content Guide
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Resource Guide
Podcast
RAR Special Edition Revisited: The Woman Who Gave Us Miss Rumphius
Released in 2022 by Read-Aloud Revival
Available formats: Streaming Audio
Length: 29 min.
View on the Read-Aloud Revival site
Barbara Cooney was a gift to the world, and in this special edition podcast, I want to introduce you to the woman behind these magnificent books.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- how this mother of four managed to illustrate over 100 books
- stories about what it was like growing up with Barbara as a mother (listen in for roosters in the kitchen and mice in the car!)
- how Barbara made sure her legacy and love for books would continue after her death in 2000
Podcast
RAR #252: The Making of Because Barbara
Released by Read-Aloud Revival
Available formats: Streaming Audio, Streaming Video
Length: 41 min.
View on YouTube
Listen to free audio
Reviews
Because Barbara
Reviewed by Megan Saben
Ewen’s illustrations are particularly encouraging to mothers who struggle with practicing their art while trying to raise children: the less-than-quiet convalescence, the outdoor work and adventures, the bedtime reading in which the mother is more sleepy than her children. Barbara’s talents didn’t wait on a shelf until her children were grown; she applied them while her children played around her and even more when they were grown up.
Because Barbara
A tribute to a giant of children’s literature and an artist’s need to put color on the page.
Because Barbara
Reviewed by Sara Masarik
There are many kinds of wonderful picture books. But my favorite, has always been the kind that invites me into a beautiful world that is lush with color, alive with whimsy, and still grounded in something substantial and firm. Because Barbara by Sarah Mackenzie and illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen is just such a book.
Because Barbara
Reviewed by Kelly Keller
If you have an aspiring writer or artist in your home, this book would be an encouraging companion for them. Barbara was an individual who unapologetically pursued beauty in life and spread it to others, whether it be in her art or her artfully packed picnics by the sea. It’s a tribute to a life well lived.
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