Beautiful Useful Things: What William Morris Made

by Beth Kephart (Author) Melodie Stacey (Illustrator)

Beautiful Useful Things: What William Morris Made
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
A poetic story about the life and work of William Morris, maker of beautiful, useful things, sure to engage young dreamers and artists alike. William Morris is best known for his colorful wallpapers and textiles, inspired by the English forests and wild foliage where he grew up. But did you know this icon of the Arts and Crafts Movement was also a poet, a painter, a preservationist, an activist, an environmentalist, and a maker of many other beautiful useful things, like books?
Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

A harmonious picture book whose poetic text and delicate illustrations befit its subject.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--William Morris was truly a Renaissance man, even though he lived in Victorian England. In celebrating Morris's life, the author focuses on the design icon as an artist, environmentalist, and world traveler. Sparse on historical detail but rich in imagery, this biography presents the opportunity to see the world as Morris did; full of the connections and beauty found in nature. Disturbed by the mass production of goods and the resulting pollution of the environment resulting from England's Industrial Revolution, Morris made the conscious decision to promote handmade items and support the arts and crafts movement of the period. The book's appealing illustrations are reminiscent of Morris's style as an artist. They contain connecting images viewed from various perspectives and reflect his passion for nature. Artisans of the period are depicted creating handmade works of art using the tools and materials of the era. Back matter includes an author's note, an illustrator's note, and a list of resources. VERDICT This title would be a good addition for libraries wishing to expand their picture book biography section or build a collection of books on lesser-known historical figures.--Lynne Stover

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, while factories churned out pollution alongside mass-produced goods, British artist William Morris (1834-1896) led a quiet rebellion of "beautiful useful things," rendering patterns of vines and flowers, making them into textiles and papers, and starting a press to print books. "In William's workshop, each pattern, wallpaper, tapestry, and rug... was conceived by the heart and made by the hand." Via illustrations that employ Arts and Crafts movement aesthetics, Stacey starts with the oak leaves, vines, birds, and insects that Morris encounters as a child, using them as motifs throughout to frame vignettes that underscore the organic forms of Morris's work. Lilting lines by Kephart slip into verse and out again ("with his friends, he began--/ to sketch, to paint, to knot, to sew,.../ to shape, to cut, to loom, to know,/ what the hands could do,/ when the eyes would see") in a volume about considering beauty that is itself beautiful, and restful, too. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 
Beth Kephart
Beth Kephart is an award-winning author of over thirty books for adults, young adults, and children, including And I Paint It, published by Cameron Kids, and the forthcoming A Room of Your Own: Virginia Woolf and Where We Go to Think, Dream, and Be. She lives in Pennsylvania. Melodie Stacey is an artist and illustrator based in Brighton, United Kingdom, not far from where William Morris lived and worked. This is her first book for Cameron Kids.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781951836337
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Cameron Kids
Publication date
April 05, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Art
JNF006040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Art | History
JNF063000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Books & Libraries
Library of Congress categories
Biographies
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiograp
England
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Books & Libraries
Morris, William
Designers
Arts and crafts movement

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