ArtMaking is a process of making meaning by reading children's books, investigating how this meaning is expressed and then inviting the child to use art to communicate their own meaning. It is the perfect language to give all children a voice, regardless of age or ability. In ArtMaking children are invited to "read their worlds" as they learn about images, explore materials and elements of art (color, lines, shapes, textures, spaces, design) and communicate their thinking through their own art processes and products. Along the way these skills build a strong literacy foundation.Using artwork as well as illustrations from children's books as provocations, children make meaning with their visual literacy skills as they use the receptive and productive languages of literacy and art to make connections. When children engage in ArtMaking they apply the highest level of the comprehension and visual literacy continuums to new art experiences and makerspaces. They aren't just making art, they are making meaning of the book and the world.176 pages.
"Michelle Kay Compton, and Robin Chappele Thompson provide?us with a wealth of knowledge and ideas about combining children's books and art to engage children's meaning-making. The strategic organization of the book facilitates access to the information, and the photographs and stories take the reader further into appreciating the value of art as a tool that supports children's inquiry." —Miriam Beloglovsky, author, speaker, and professor of early childhood education
"ArtMaking is the book I wished I had when I was a kindergarten teacher and teaching artist. This book provides not only a dynamic process of harnessing children’s ideas and thoughts in art making--it provides a dynamic relationship to children’s literature. This is what a meaningful literacy curriculum looks like. This is a must have book if you are looking for a powerful literacy approach for your early childhood classroom." —Sally Haughey, Founder, Fairy Dust Teaching