[Nonfiction Wednesday] A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa

Fats here.

We are delighted to join the Nonfiction Picture Book meme 2020 hosted by Alyson Beecher @ Kid Lit Frenzy. We would also be linking our nonfiction choices with our reading themes throughout the year, when we can.

A Life Made by Hand

The Story of Ruth Asawa

Words and design by Andrea D’Aquino
Published by Princeton Architectural Press (2019)
ISBN-13: 9781616898366

This is a story of an artist
you may have never heard of.

Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa was born in Norwalk, California. She had six siblings and her family earned living by working on a farm. Because she spent a lot of time outside, Ruth developed curiosity and a keen sense of observation. From plants to spider webs to water droplets, Ruth admired the things around her. She also enjoyed making things out of anything she could get her hands on, such as wire and paper.

Image courtesy of Andrea D’Aquino’s website.

When she got older, Ruth attended Black Mountain College, a school known for some of the brilliant people in the world. She was inspired by their crafts and was very eager to learn as much as she could from them. With the help of a local craftsman in Mexico, Ruth learned how to weave with wire to make baskets.

Image courtesy of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

I didn’t know about Ruth Asawa until I came across this book in the library. In A Life Made by Hand, D’Aquino celebrates Ruth Asawa’s life not only by the story that D’Aquino wrote but also by her illustrations and collages that were featured in the book. You can learn more about Ruth Asawa here. To see more of D’Aquino’s works, visit her website.