Welcome to Day 9 of READ SHARE CELEBRATE.
Again today we have 2 different book choices. One English, One French.
Step Outside by Doretta Groenendyk
Mes grands freres et moi de Cary Fagan et Luc Melanson ( https://kaelynsbookclub.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/mes-grands-freres-et-moi-de-cary-fagan-et-luc-melanson-lire-partage-celebrer-9-jours-selection-francaise/ )
So we decided to take the title of the book to heart, and we went outside, and enjoyed an absolutely LOVELY November day in Nova Scotia. I’ll share some more pictures from our walk a little further down.
Today’s book is written by a Local Nova Scotia Author, Doretta Groenendyk. I was actually first introduced to her because of her art. Her Whimsical and brightly coloured images immediately drew me in. I loved how fun they were, and how they were appealing to so many people. Little Kids, and Big kids!!
This book, although fun, does have a bit of a serious message that we could all think about.
Doretta Groenendyk’s new book, Step Outside, promotes the valuable goal of relating to each other and the natural environment in a creative and enchanted way. Childhood obesity and the addiction to electronics is a growing concern that needs to be addressed. Step Outside is an artistic approach to inspire movement, to strengthen family bonds, to generate memories and celebrate the outdoors. It also visually enriches the readers repetoire with enticing, original, collaged, watercolour and acrylic creations within a moment of words. A beautiful combination of sport, art, poetry, nature and family, Step Outside, is sure to get you off your chair and enjoying the outdoors.
Source – http://www.nimbus.ca/Step-Outside-P6721.aspx
Product Details
- Age Range: 4 – 8 years
- Grade Level: Preschool – 3
- Hardcover: 24 pages
- Publisher: Acorn Press (March 15, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1927502195
- ISBN-13: 978-1927502198
- Product Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches
About Doretta Groenendyk –
The fantastical whimsy of Doretta Groenendyk
by Wendi Stewart, Herald Annapolis Valley (published
This season, like no other season, is a time of magic no matter your religious or political affiliation, or lack thereof. If you are seeking something whimsical to adorn your wall, to awaken the sleeping child in you, something to be cherished as a family treasure, then you must consider the art of Doretta Groenendyk.
Groenendyk is no stranger to the residents of the Annapolis Valley. A bit of serendipity brought Groenendyk and her husband David Fitch to the Valley 17 years ago to a rural landscape below the North Mountain within reach of Canning, on a road that is the last to see the snowplow when winter raises her stormy fist. There, at her kitchen table with her three children — Izra, Reilly and Jasper — all armed with sketchbooks, acrylics and assorted drawing implements with the cats (Lulu, Nutnut and Poppy) looking on in a supervisory role, Groenendyk creates her magic.
She is a prolific artist, finding inspiration in stories that flow in and around and through her life. Groenendyk studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax and has a degree in art education, a calling that has taken her into the classrooms of Africa, Canada’s Arctic and now in her own community. She has written and illustrated several children’s books, employing the participation of her children’s talent in many of her works. Her art definitely is a family affair, her creative talent being genetically passed down to her children.
The creation of her books, Bully 101 and Step Outside, was supported by grants in 2012 and 2013 respectively, from Culture and Heritage, Nova Scotia Department of Communities and she enjoys and is grateful for the support of Valley residents. These communities are “inspiring to an artistic mind,” Groenendyk proclaims, and she credits her success with the support of the collective Valley community.
Aside of illustrating her own children’s books and illustrating the literary endeavours of others, Groenendyk creates custom pieces for individuals seeking a personal piece of art to tell his/her story, a collaborative effort to visually display a narrative. (Find her work at www.doretta-art.com).
Groenendyk work is exhibited at the Harvest Gallery in Wolfville, and in the Art Sales and Rental Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, at Details Past and Present Art Gallery in Charlottetown, and in the Fireside Café in Canning. Her illustrated Christmas cards have been supportive of Light 4 Learning for the past eight years, a project created to raise funds to purchase solar power for schools in rural Uganda in East Africa (www.light4learning.org).
When you come across a Doretta Groenendyk piece, look for the birds or goldfish on the canvas, her signature inclusions that speak to her whimsy, the bits of life that assure her she is never truly alone, that tell a little extra story. Be assured, you will enjoy the fantastical colours, the very seed of Groenendyk‘s creations.
If you are looking at this picture and wondering what the blue box is on the left. That is the Free Little Library at the Ducks Unlimited Miners Marsh Walking Trails in Kentville, NS. [ http://www.kingscountynews.ca/Living/2015-07-30/article-4229856/UPDATED%3A-Kentville-familys-project-leads-to-establishment-of-little-library-at-Miner%26rsquo%3Bs-Marsh/1 ]
If you want to see more of Doretta’s work, you can check out her website, http://doretta-art.com/
or
The Harvest Gallery, in Wolfville [ http://www.harvestgallery.ca/searchresults.php?artistId=1000&start=1 ] has some of her current pieces of art you can view online as well.
Doretta’s NEWEST Book, I’m Drawing a Picture, published by Acorn Press [ http://www.nimbus.ca/Im-Drawing-a-Picture-P7294.aspx ] was just released this Fall. We had the opportunity to take a look at it as it was being unpacked at the Book Store. And it again, is a wonderfully fun book, with great pictures. We both loved it.
kaelyn's book club 