Bookmaking for Writers: Home

The Book as Art presents more than 100 of the most engaging women's artist books created by major fine artists such as Meret Oppenheim, May Stevens, Kara Walker, and Renee Stout and distinguished book artists such as Susan King, Ruth Laxson, Claire Van Vliet, and Julie Chen. ...These books explore the form as a container for ideas.

These how-to classes in a book encourage the imaginations of budding young artists, scientists, biologists, and thespians.

"This work, one of the first full-length studies available of artists' books, provides both a critical analysis of the structures themselves and a basis for further reflection on the philosophical and conceptual roles they play."

The techniques of creating pop-up forms are demonstrated in a series of practical lessons. The book also suggests ways in which pop-up forms can be used to enrich the study of English and art, and contains illustrations of childrens work.

Anyone who can handle a pair of scissors can create three-dimensional art that slithers, slides, spins, springs open, and pop right up from the drawing board! Like no other pop-up how-to book available, Pop-O-Mania reveals the secret of basic paper engineering techniques in clearly illustrated step-by-step instructions enhanced by fully three-dimensional working examples of each technique. Budding paper engineers will discover how to use individual or combined techniques to create spectacular scenes, pop-up jewelry, greeting cards, and more. The bright colors, intriguing images, and exciting ideas on each page are sure to spark imaginations, and the user-friendly text encourages experimentation and creativity. Pop-O-Mania projects will provide hours of rainy-day fun for kids (and adults too!) and can be adapted as a unique children's party activity. Teachers will find the book to be an invaluable tool in planning art classes and curriculum-related art projects.

With the first edition of A Book of One's Own, Paul Johnson proved what an enriching tool bookmaking can be for developing elementary students' literacy skills. Now, with the second edition, he reaches out to an even broader audience, letting older students, multicultural students, and special-needs students in on the fun. This comprehensive guide continues to examine every stage of the bookmaking process, from simple folded paper books to beautiful hardcover Japanese side-bound books. By developing skills such as writing, story construction, design, illustration, binding methods, and paper technology, Johnson shows the value of bookmaking across the curriculum. But this edition is far more concise, making it much easier to use. In addition to new examples and activities for a wider range of students, there's also a new section on the publishing process, which explores everything from researching and writing the book to assembling and launching the finished product. It draws upon ideas touched upon in the first edition, providing a broader understanding of the publishing field in general.

Teachers everywhere have found that book making has the power to motivate even the most reluctant writers. By combining illustrations and texts, children engage in a kind of communication that transcends the sum of its parts-their pictures and words interact to convey a new level of meaning. In Pictures & Words Together, Paul Johnson addresses important questions about the process: What do children learn through illustrating their texts? How do texts and illustrations "work" together? He shows how preschool and primary students can be taught to create books that fuse their writing and drawing in profound ways. He offers advice on helping children think about the most effective ways to blend text and pictures, draw the characters and settings for their narratives, and publish their books using simple cutting, folding, and binding techniques. Filled with practical suggestions for teaching and evaluation, as well as abundant examples of children's work, this book is essential reading for those who want to enrich the writing and visual communication experience for children.

Paul Johnson has produced an approach to literacy development that is both astonishingly original and powerfully stimulating. Using simple, easy-to-follow instructions, supported throughout with clear diagrams and examples of children's work, he demonstrates how scores of different book forms can be made from a single sheet of paper. Moreover, all that is required to produce most of the fifty-odd book forms and variations described here in detail are paper, pens, and a pair of scissors.