THE SCRAPS BOOK by Lois Ehlert

Lois Ehlert has long been a favorite picture book author/illustrator of mine.  Her books are perfect for storytimes with their large beautiful collage illustrations and short text. I've had the pleasure of meeting this Milwaukee children's book author a couple of times and she is just as colorful in her dress and lively in her conversation as you would expect from her artwork.  She collects folk art from her travels and many of those items like fabric and toys from other countries are found in her picture books.  Her latest book, The Scraps Book; Notes from a Colorful Life, is a delightful insight into her creative process when making picture books for children.  The reader learns a little about her life and sees photos of her parents, the house she grew up in, early sketches of some of her books, tools she uses to create her artwork, and some of her actual collections-- fishing decoys, folk art dolls, items from the natural world.  The collage of photos on the end papers are inspirational for young artists as is her simple text with notes throughout that makes reading this book pure joy.  The Scraps Book is a unique autobiographical picture book that will be enjoyed by young artists and readers, not to mention art teachers and parents.  Hurray for creativity and inspiration for children to make their own art and learn about bookmaking in the process by a very gifted artist.