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Reviews
Dancing Through Fields of Color: The Story of Helen Frankenthaler by Aimaee Sicuro, Elizabeth Brown
jaij7's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading biographical picture books. They are amazing because they have a way of getting to the heart of the person quickly. This book stays within that structure and shows quickly how important color was to the artist, Helen Frankenthaler. I enjoyed learning about her infatuation with colors. I especially enjoyed the author's note at the end of the book.
cahamsher's review against another edition
5.0
Genre: Biography
Grade: 2-4
I did not know the story of Helen Frankenthaler before reading this book. It is the perfect book for art history or creativity connection. She thought outside of the box and was willing to try something different and new. This would be awesome to connect with a whole class art project on a big surface. The illustrations were really colorful and well done throughout the book!
Grade: 2-4
I did not know the story of Helen Frankenthaler before reading this book. It is the perfect book for art history or creativity connection. She thought outside of the box and was willing to try something different and new. This would be awesome to connect with a whole class art project on a big surface. The illustrations were really colorful and well done throughout the book!
rachelnewlin's review against another edition
5.0
This was lovely. Well researched, honest, and the illustrations are true to the art form and color field movement. A wonderful addition to any library or school collection.
jshettel's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating biography about a female painter. Illustrations evoke the style of the artist.
sunflowerjess's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Vivid children's picture book biography of a pioneer in art.
backonthealex's review against another edition
4.0
Brown introduces young readers to Helen Frankenthaler, who is best known for her big, bold Fields of Color paintings. Helen's love of color and freedom of expression began as a child, when she was encouraged by her parents to follow her instincts about art, even while her teachers were promoting q more realistic style of painting done within the lines. Sadly, at age 11, Helen's colorful inspiration failed her when her beloved father suddenly died, and though she kept painting, it was never the same as before since it never really expressed what she felt inside. Then, as an adult, Helen met Jackson Pollock, and she realized that if he could break the rules, so could she. But it took a trip to Nova Scotia to really free Helen's painting. And what Helen created were paintings seeped in colors and deep emotion - a technique called "soak stain" where the paint is allowed to seep into the canvas. Sicuro's watercolor illustrations are energetic and bright, and without trying to recreate the soak stain techniques, she nevertheless manages to capture the sense of Helen Frankenthaler's paintings. Back matter includes More About Helen Frankenthaler, a Timeline of her life, Author's Note, Quotes and Sources, and an extensive Select Bibliography. Also included is a Poured Paint/Soak-Stain Activity that kids can do to really understand how Helen's technique works, and the most important thing to remember for this activity - there are no rules!
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
This beginning biography tells the story of Helen Frankenthaler. I admit to never have heard of her before. I thought this looked like a book of color and flowers and perfect for spring. How lucky it’s so much more.
Helen is an abstract artist and she would smear color and soak it into her canvases. She used color like it was an emotion. The artwork in the book is wonderful. There are splashes of color all over the place. Growing up, Helen lived in a world of color. I can relate a lot with Helen. I love bright colors and I surround myself with them. I like them messy and bright and everywhere. When I had my own Condo, people would call it the crayola box. Color gushed out everywhere. People weren’t used to so much color. I miss my bathroom which was floor to ceiling blue with fish stickers all over the walls. It was pure fun.
Helen also met Jackson Pollock and that really opened her up. She is a famous artist respected in her field and now I have learned a little something about her.
The kids thought this book was great. They loved the thought of being able to use your body to paint and they loved the message of breaking all the rules. That appealed to them, imagine that. I think this was good for the niece. She is a perfectionist. She felt emotions reading this and seeing all the colors. She couldn’t say why, but she liked this. She gave it 4 stars. The nephew thought it was a cool book. He gave this 3 stars. They both want to get out a big roll of paper and paint on it now. This weekend, I told them.
Helen is an abstract artist and she would smear color and soak it into her canvases. She used color like it was an emotion. The artwork in the book is wonderful. There are splashes of color all over the place. Growing up, Helen lived in a world of color. I can relate a lot with Helen. I love bright colors and I surround myself with them. I like them messy and bright and everywhere. When I had my own Condo, people would call it the crayola box. Color gushed out everywhere. People weren’t used to so much color. I miss my bathroom which was floor to ceiling blue with fish stickers all over the walls. It was pure fun.
Helen also met Jackson Pollock and that really opened her up. She is a famous artist respected in her field and now I have learned a little something about her.
The kids thought this book was great. They loved the thought of being able to use your body to paint and they loved the message of breaking all the rules. That appealed to them, imagine that. I think this was good for the niece. She is a perfectionist. She felt emotions reading this and seeing all the colors. She couldn’t say why, but she liked this. She gave it 4 stars. The nephew thought it was a cool book. He gave this 3 stars. They both want to get out a big roll of paper and paint on it now. This weekend, I told them.
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