The Art Room

Winner of the CLA Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award


For any child who loves art, it would be the gift of a lifetime to be able to study with a great contemporary artist. This delightful story-poem recreates the wonderful world of “the art room,” where famous Northwest Coast painter Emily Carr taught drawing and painting to children to support herself in the early 1900s. Filled with Carr’s love of animals, her insistence on painting from life and nature, and the sense of fun and freedom that she inspired in her young students, author Susan Vande Griek provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of this extraordinarily gifted artist. It is also a book bound to inspire today’s children to make an “art room” of their own.

Illustrator Pascal Milelli has brilliantly accomplished the very difficult job of painting a book about a painter. His rich style is a perfect foil for the work that Carr was doing at the time. This book reminds us of what a joyous experience art can be, and can serve as an inspiration to children who love to look at the world and try to reflect its beauty in their own creations. This edition features a refreshed font and an author’s note.