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Sadler’s art work, outlined in bold, thick white lines, is stirring and stylized and stunning. “Sadler’s beautiful scratchboard illustrations,” writes Kirkus<\/em>, “incise white contoured line into saturated landscapes of lush green leaf patterns, brilliant-hued textiles and undulating, stylized hills.” Kirkus<\/em> calls the book no less than “{v}ibrant and accomplished.” Publishers Weekly<\/em> adds, “Trees, leaves, and water are simplified into elemental shapes, giving the whole the appearance of a tropically colored quilt.” It’s beautiful stuff, and I’m happy to share some art from it today. <\/p>\n Before I do that, though, I must quickly mention: There are, evidently, several new titles out about Maathai. I’ve only seen this other one—Donna Jo Napoli’s<\/a><\/strong> Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, written in a very different style from Johnson’s text and published by Simon & Schuster in January of this year—and I mean to tell you that the art work in this one will also blow. you. away. This is Kadir Nelson<\/strong><\/a> collaging African textiles with oil paintings, and it’s one of the most beautiful picture books I’ve seen all year. JAW-DROPPING beauty. “Dazzling,” wrote The Washington Post<\/em>. Don’t miss that one, too. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/seedsofchangecover.JPG\")
If you haven’t had your coffee or hot tea yet, the art work of Sonia Lynn Sadler<\/a><\/strong> just might wake you up instead. Sadler has illustrated the picture book debut—Seeds of Change<\/a><\/em><\/strong> from Lee & Low Books (April 2010)—of author Jen Cullerton Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, a biography of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wangari Maathai<\/a><\/strong>, a Kenyan environmental and political activist. In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement<\/a><\/strong>, an environmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights. Johnson, as noted in the back of the book, relies upon Maathai’s autobiographical writing (indeed, her own memoir<\/a><\/strong>) to bring us the story of her life — from her childhood in Kenya to 2004, in which she was awarded the “prestigious peace prize.” <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/mamamiti.JPG\")
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