Picture Book #11 Orbis Pictus #1

Title: The Secret World of Walter Anderson

 Author: Hester Bess
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Genre: Non-Fiction
Subgenre: Biography
Theme: Determination, art, passion, and nature
Characters: Walter Anderson, his wife
Awards: 2010 Orbis Pictus Winner
Publishing Date: 2009
Publisher: Random House Publishing

Summary: Walter Anderson is a famous artist who ventures out to find the perfect moments to capture in nature. He is a painter as well who rows in his boat to Horn Island to create the most wonderful paintings of the nature around him. He kept his room locked, and when he passed away his wife found all his paintings from his days when he would visit Horn Island.

I would use this book to engage students in creativity and art. This book can teach students how art takes patience and determination with a passion. Students can learn to appreciate the beauty of nature. I would have students write a poem about something in nature that they find out at recess. The class would sit outside and paint the scene that they found their item from to teach them how to appreciate nature and be creative.