Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016
The book I chose was Maybe Something Beautiful By F. Isabel Campy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael Lopez. This story was about a little girl named Mira. She lives in a city that has hardly any color, its predominantly gray. She has always had a colorful art and decided to transform her neighborhood. She started painting walls with another man who noticed who artwork who was also a artist. By the end of the story everyone joined in on brightening up the neighborhood. This story would make a great addition to an elementary school teachers classroom. It would be beneficial because this book is inclusive, the illustrations are appealing and engaging, and it teaches a moral lesson.
Firstly, this book is inclusive. For example, the illustrator, Rafael Lopez painted the people with having different races so they did not all look the same. On the second page of this book, there is three people illustrated and they are all different races. (Campoy, Howell, & Lo'pez 2016). Another way this book is inclusive is that by the end everyone is included. In the book it states: "Teachers and papas jumped in. Babies too!" (Campoy, Howell, & Lo'pez 2016). By the end of the book, everyone no matter how old or small, they all joined in on making their neighborhood beautiful. Having a book with inclusion is wise to have in a classroom because that is the direction our schools are trying to go to. We are trying to have inclusive classrooms ourselves. Schools want everyone to be accepted and have a place. Having a book with inclusion of different people is a great way to teach kids that everyone is important and should be treated the same. In reiteration, this book containing inclusion is one of the reasons why I would recommend this book to future educators.
Secondly, the illustrations in this book are engaging and appealing. It states in the very beginning of the book before it starts that the illustrator Rafael Lopez is from Mexico and because of his culture, his illustrations reflect its colorfulness and vibrancy. This definitely shows in this book. The illustrations are very colorful and detailed. Having colorful illustrations keeps children interested and is easier to see. Also, there are a few pages in the novel where the book is to be turned vertical instead of horizontal like usual. This is because the illustrations were drawn on those pages in such a way that the text for them was written to match instead. This is also great to have with kids because having to turn the book a different direction keeps them interested and it is something that not all books include. In conclusion, the illustrations for this book were well done and were appealing and engaging for the reader.
Lastly, this novel teaches a moral lesson. In the book it reads: "You, my friends, are all artists, he told them. The world is your canvas." (Campoy, Howell, & Lo?pez 2016). This is teaching kids that they can do whatever they put their minds too, to be creative and themselves. Creativity is what sets people apart from each other. We all have something to offer this world. It is important to show kids that the world really is their canvas and they are to show people what they can do, no matter what it is. Everyone's an artist in their own way whether that is musically, with sports, writing, with the technology, etc. This is an important lesson to teach kids especially at that age because this when they are starting to find themselves and their interests. As educators, we not only teach them academic lessons, but also life lessons. Using books such as this one is a great way to do that. To sum up, this book taught a great life lesson for the reader.
In conclusion, the book Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael Lopez was a great novel. As a future educator I would recommend this to my colleagues as well as put it in my own classroom library. This book had a lot to offer students including the fact that it was inclusive, had excellent illustrations, and taught a life lesson. As educators, we have the platform to shape young people's minds into the best they can be. We not only teach them school lessons but also life lessons that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Having books such as this one will assist in that process. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to having the teaching platform when I am an official educator myself.
Review by Macy Anderson
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