Title: The Art of Miss Chew
Author: Patricia Polacco
Genre: School / Drama / Family / Art
Year Published: 2012
Year Read: 2016
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Source: Library
Content Rating: Ages 5+ (Nothing Objectionable)
Now, I have been reading many of Patricia Polacco’s books over the years and even though I continued to be mesmerized by her childhood stories, I have always wondered how Patricia Polacco became such a prolific artist, as well as being an effective storyteller. So, when I got around to reading one of Patricia Polacco’s newer books “The Art of Miss Chew,” I finally found out how Patricia Polacco became such a talented artist!
After Trisha spent the summer with her grandmother
who was a talented artist, Trisha wanted to become an artist herself.
Unfortunately, her school does not have an art class that Trisha could participate
in until her Irish teacher Mr. Donovan, suggested that Trisha could join a
special art class at the high school that is being taught by none other than
Miss Chew! Trisha loved having Miss Chew
as her art teacher, as Miss Chew helped Trisha learn the language of art and
how she could see the objects she draws in a whole new light. Unfortunately, a tragic day happened when Mr.
Donovan’s father passed away and Mr. Donovan had to attend his father’s
funeral, leaving his students in the care of a substitute teacher named Mrs.
Spaulding. Mrs. Spaulding was often
cruel towards Trisha as she would not give Trisha enough time to work on her
tests, since Trisha was a much slower learner than the other students; and Mrs.
Spaulding even threatened to have Trisha thrown out of Miss Chew’s art class
since she believed that the art class was distracting Trisha from her studies.
Can
Trisha and Miss Chew convince the student board that Trisha should stay in art
class?
Read
this book to find out!
What I always loved about Patricia Polacco’s works is that her books allow the readers to
take a look at her childhood and be inspired by the various teachers that
helped her throughout her school life. I
always loved the emotional touches that Patricia
Polacco brings to her work as you truly feel her sorrow as she struggles
through school due to her learning disability and it was great that she had
teachers that really cared about her and try their hardest to help Trisha pass
her classes. As soon as I picked up this
book, I knew that I was going to automatically fall in love with both Miss Chew
and Mr. Donovan! Even though Mr. Donovan’s
name was not in the title of this book, I loved the fact that Trisha had
another teacher who was supportive of her and the fact that he was from Ireland
and loved his father dearly really made me love his character! But let us talk about the true star of this
book and that is Miss Chew herself, as she was clearly the one who inspired
Trisha to fulfill her lifelong dream to become an artist! I loved the fact that Miss Chew showed Trisha
how to look at the objects she draws in a different light and I also loved the
way that she continues to encourage Trisha to follow her dreams of becoming an
artist no matter how impossible the odds may be. I really loved the fact that both Mr. Donovan
and Miss Chew were teachers that came from foreign countries (Mr. Donovan came
from Ireland and Miss Chew came from China) as it brought a whole new
perspective of the teaching experience for young children. Patricia
Polacco’s artwork is magnificent as the characters look so realistic and gorgeous
and I loved the fact that we have a book in Patricia Polacco’s works that detailed her inspiration in becoming
an artist!
Overall, “The
Art of Miss Chew” is a truly beautiful and touching book about the power of
art and the importance of supporting students who are struggling in school. I would recommend this book to children ages
five and up since the length of the book might be a bit difficult for some
smaller children.
