Carr was an eccentric Canadian artist who gained recognition in the early half of the twentieth century for both her writings and artwork, much of which depicts the art and daily lives of Pacific Coast native people. In this picture-book biography for older readers, Bogart follows her iconoclastic subject through childhood, early artistic struggles, lifelong battles with health, adventurous painting trips into the Canadian wilderness, and, finally, widespread recognition late in life. The straightforward, sometimes sophisticated language doesn't always capture the details that will interest young readers most. But Bogart carefully shows both the admirable artist and the difficult, complicated human behind the work, including enough detail to support reports. On each spread, Newhouse's small, appealing ink drawings of Carr appear opposite sharp reproductions of Carr's work. Art students and children looking for report topics for women's history assignments will want this, as will any reader interested in Canadian history. A time line and an extensive bibliography (of mostly adult titles) are appended.

This biography of marginalized early twentieth-century Canadian artist Emily Carr reveals as much about the history of women artists' struggle for respectability as it does about Carr's own life story. Pen-and-ink sketches depicting scenes from Carr's life face full-color reproductions of Carr's own paintings, largely of Pacific landscapes and native themes. Timeline. Bib.

Gr 5-8 With an excellent-quality, full-color reproduction of Carr's work facing every page of text, this is a gorgeous look at the Canadian artist's life at the turn of and during the early part of the 20th century. Carr visited the Native peoples of the Northwest and was inspired to paint their world, leaving a record of their spirituality and artifacts. Her unusual subjects, travels, and frustrations are related chronologically. The text is written in small type; the size of the plates will work well with groups. While Bogart includes elements of "Emily thought" this or that, this type of extension is reasonable given the many journals and writings that Carr left behind. Newhouse's pen-and-ink drawings add a sense of the artist's personality but are sometimes awkward in execution. Not a first purchase, but a worthy consideration. Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY