Willow (Willow, #1)

Miss Hawthorn's room is neat and tidy, not a pencil or paintbrush is out of place. And that's how she likes it. And she likes trees that are colored green and apples that are painted red. Miss Hawthorn does not like things to be different or out of the ordinary. Into Miss Hawthorn's classroom comes young Willow. She doesn't color inside the lines, she breaks crayons, and she sees pink trees and blue apples. What will Miss Hawthorn think? Magical things can happen when your imagination is allowed to run wild, and for Miss Hawthorn the notion of what is art and what is possible is forever changed.Willow is the first joint writing effort for sisters Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan. Denise's other Sleeping Bear Press books include Someday Is Not a Day of the Week and My Grandma Likes to Say. She lives in Howell, Michigan. Rosemarie Brennan juggles careers as a writing teacher and an author. She lives in Brighton, Michigan. Cyd Moore studied graphic design and fine arts at the University of Georgia. Her work includes posters, billboards, books, newspaper and magazine articles, and cassette and CD covers. She is the illustrator of I Love You, Stinky Face and I Miss You, Stinky Face. She lives in Commerce, Michigan.

miss Hawthorn's Art Room Is Unnatually Neat. Not A Pencil Or Paintbrush Or A Hair On Miss Hawthorn's Head Is Out Of Place. Her Students Sit In Rows, Silent And Still, Like Eggs In A Carton, Painting Green Trees And Red Apples. And That's How Miss Hawthorn Likes It.

into Miss Hawthorn's Classroom Tumbles Young Willow. She Colors Outside The Lines, Breaks Crayons, And Paints Fanciful Pink Trees And Blue Apples. What Will Miss Hawthorn Do?

willow Is A Story About Creativity, And The Magical Things That Can Happen When Imagination Is Allowed To Run Wild. But Most Of All, It's A Story About The Profound Influence Of One Little Girl.

award-winning Author Denise Brennan-nelson (buzzy The Bumblebee: My Momma Likes To Say) Teams Up With Her Sister, Rosemarie Brennan, Bringing Us willow. Effervescent Illustrations By Cyd Moore Offer The Perfect Setting.

school Library Journal

k-gr 3

All Of The Students In Miss Hawthorn's Art Class Draw Trees That Are Alike, Except For Willow, A Rosy-cheeked Little Girl Who Paints What She Sees When She Closes Her Eyes. When The Rigid, Unimaginative Teacher Tells Her That Blue Apples Do Not Exist, Willow Brings Her One The Next Day. Horrid Little Girl, Miss Hawthorn Says. Yet At Christmas The Only Gift Miss Hawthorn Receives Is From Willow. The Child Presents Her With Her Beloved Art Book, Which Begins A Transformation In The Dour, Unhappy Woman. Miss Hawthorn Begins To Doodle And Then To Paint. Pictures Are Everywhere. When The Children Come Back To School In January, They Discover An Inspired Teacher In Paint-smeared Jeans And Smock Who Invites Them To Help Her Change Their Room Into A Work Of Art. Soft-toned Watercolors Contrast Colorful, Autumn Trees With The All-the-same Green Ones, Show Snow-covered Trees That Broke When They Could Not Bend, And Finally Present The Willow Tree In The Art Room, Which Is A Tribute To Willow. Expressive Faces Show Wonderment And Joy As Teacher And Students Discover-as Willow Has-the Intense Power Of Imagination. This Book Can Be Read Alone Or Read Aloud And Is A Solid Choice For Elementary Collections.-mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, Tn

In art class, neatness, conformity, and imitation are encouraged, but when Willow brings imagination and creativity to her projects, even straight-laced Miss Hawthorn is influenced.