This week, we continue to feature the artwork and companion resources within our Art of Read Every Day campaign. Axel Scheffler's incredible piece is currently in the spotlight, and his inclusion of frosty water and ice caps seem particularly relevant considering the current frigid temperatures sweeping across the country.
About about Scheffler: Axel Scheffler has received many awards for his witty, humorous illustrations, and has brought to life a huge variety of beloved characters, including Zog, the accident-prone dragon in A Gold Star for Zog; the unforgettable Stick Man; and worldwide favorite, The Gruffalo. His artwork for his project is stunning. He's often askes to draw crisp, blue skies in his illustrations, but thought this would be a good opportunity to try a darker, more forboding sky, as if a storm were upon the man in the boat, or one had just finished. He also included a cluster of little penguins in the boat becuase his daughter was very curious about this particular creature at the time of his drawing the work. Adorable.
You can download the artwork for free on our Read Every Day website. You'll also find the following:
- a video interview with Axel Scheffler on this work and his love of animals in art.
- a video of the artist reading aloud from Stick Man, by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Scheffler.
- free, Common Core-ready discussion guides for classrooms (grades K-2 and 3-5)
Enjoy!
Original artwork by Axel Scheffler.
