Barbara's Reviews > World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney

The elegant, lyrical text in this picture book biography about an influential picture book illustrator soars above present-day circumstances, somehow lifting readers' spirits as they consider life's possibilities and the importance of leaving the world more beautiful. In today's tumultuous, fractured times, what could be more important? How wonderful to have such a visually stunning homage to this talented storyteller and winner of two of the early Caldecott [1959, 1980] prizes! I wish the students in my previous years' Children's Literature courses could have had this tribute to hard work, respect for all living things, and being true to oneself, even in one's artistic endeavors. Interestingly, as with Frida Kahlo, it is when she is ill and bedridden that some inspiration comes. The biography also functions as a brief glimpse into the history of picture books and publishing since it was only when she was creating the images for Chanticleer and the Fox that she is allowed to use five different colors for her work. It's noteworthy just how stunning those images are, even compared with modern printing techniques and liberal use of color. The author often refers to her love for color even while describing how necessity forces her to "scratch away in black and white" (unpaged) and uses evocative phrases such as "a landscape that looks like a lullaby" (unpaged) to describe what she sees when she travels to faraway places. And oh, that sumptuous, beautiful double-page spread filled with blues, purples, and greens as water and land meet as she looks on! Preceded as it is by those powerful lines on the previous page, it takes on even more emotional power, leaving readers to contemplate their own brief times on earth: "A life is more than a timeline, dates set down in black and white. There are harsh winters and soft springs, tides that follow the moon, rivers that flow to the sea.... Books close, then open again. We do not always know the next story" (unpaged). The illustrations in this particular book, created with gouache and brimming with nature's beauty, capture her love for art, light, and color. This is an impressive and essential collection for any collection devoted to artists or storytellers.