Teaching Kids Art Through Picture Books

I'll bet at some point you've thrown a rock into a pond and watched the ripples extend further and further out as a result of your casual toss. I've been thinking a lot about that metaphor this month. 
We never know which action of ours is going to have a ripple effect to touch someone else's ideas and actions, which in turn spark someone else.

Have you ever heard of Savonarola? Probably not. He was a monk and a fiery preacher during the Renaissance  who influenced Michelangelo. It is said Michelangelo heard his voice in his head while painting the Sistine Chapel.  What about Giuliano della Rovere? Ever heard of him? Thought not. He became Pope Julius II, who commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel. Because Michelangelo was a sculptor, it was definitely out of his comfort zone to paint a huge fresco. But the pope influenced him to do it…and we are the recipients of Michelangelo's willingness to change direction.
People and their stories matter. Yours. Your child's. And God...