Myra here.
Every Saturday, beginning today, we hope to share with you our thoughts on reading and books. We thought that it would be good practice to reflect on our reading lives and our thoughts about reading in general. While on occasion, we would feature a few books in keeping with this, there would be a few posts where we will just write about our thoughts on read-alouds, libraries, reading journals, upcoming literary conferences, books that we are excited about, and just booklove miscellany in general.
I have always been fascinated with paintings and artwork that celebrate book love in its various forms. It appeals deeply to the bibliophile in me. And so when I read a professional development text that recommended Bob Raczka’s Artful Reading, I reserved it from our public library.
The entire book is essentially an ode to readers around the world. Each page consists of various paintings done by world-renowned artists such as Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Vermeer, Renoir, Matisse, Dürer, Picasso, Rembrandt among others.
Raczka inserted clever captions for each of the full-page, or on occasion full-spread paintings.
It captures every reader, regardless of age and circumstance.
This book actually reminded me a little bit of Biblioklept.org – one of my go-to websites for beautiful paintings of readers, quotations, and other reading memorabilia.
Teachers would also be happy to know that there is an Authors’ Note at the end of the book that includes a detailed account of each of the paintings, the artists, and a short description of the artists as readers and writers.
Definitely a must-have for all bibliophiles.
Artful Reading by Bob Raczka. Published by Millbrook Press/Minneapolis, 2008. Book borrowed from the public library. Book photos taken by me.
Gathering Books 
Looks wonderful! 😀
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