Signs of Hope - by Mara Rockliff (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Corita Kent (1918-1986) was a visual artist, art teacher, and Catholic nun whose work was revolutionary and is widely revered. In her classroom, she encouraged her students to see the ordinary as extraordinary and make art from the so-called commonplace around them. She embodied this in her own work-making screen prints and collage that celebrated the values and themes of hope, love, justice, and peace. This picture book biography approaches Corita's life from the point of view of one of her students. From this lens, readers get a sense of what it might have been like to be in the classroom with her-her energy, her inspiring presence, her own fascinations. Paired with this view are illustrations from award-winning artist Melissa Sweet in Corita's style-screen prints and collage-that adorn the pages with splashes of Corita's own words and wisdom"--

Book Synopsis

Signs of Hope is a picture book biography of groundbreaking artist, teacher, and Catholic nun Corita Kent from critically acclaimed author Mara Rockliff, with stunning full-color art from Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet.

Let Corita teach you how to see the world in a whole new way!

Sister Corita Kent, the "pop art nun," burst onto the 1960s art scene with splashes of color and ad slogans transformed into messages of love, hope, peace, and justice. The art world would never be the same--and neither would the young people whose lives she changed.

Join Corita's students as they learn how to look at the world around them through an artist's eyes. With Corita, work is play, imagination means adventure, and there is no line between life and art.

Told with joy and energy by award-winning author Mara Rockliff and spectacularly illustrated by two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, Signs of Hope brings a revolutionary artist's teachings--still fresh, still inspiring--to a new generation. As Corita told her students, "Be ready to see what you haven't seen before!"

Review Quotes

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Playing with words and images, this picture book is an artful homage to a 'joyous revolutionary.'"-- "Booklist"

"[T]his optimistic biography of artist Corita Kent (1918-1986) shimmers with the figure's energy and sense of possibility... Combining pop art and protest, the result is a joyous nexus of experimentation and creative responsibility that details a "small and quiet" figure whose art remains 'big and loud.' "-- "Publishers Weekly"

"A buoyant invitation to see the world and to look for artistic ways to improve it."-- "Kirkus"

"Beautiful collage illustrations...inspired by Sister Kent's style, along with some of her original are shown on every page...An inspiring book helping to remind everyone to look at things more carefully to find deeper meaning in ideas and life."-- "School Library Journal"

"The narrative offers glimpses into the rest of Kent's life, both the beauty and the challenges, with an emphasis on her way of seeing the world..."-- "The Horn Book Magazine"

About the Author

Mara Rockliff is the award-winning author of dozens of children's books, including A Perfect Fit: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion as well as Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, called an "essential purchase" in a School Library Journal starred review. She lives in western Massachusetts. Melissa Sweet has illustrated over 100 books, as well as toys, puzzles, and games. Her work has appeared in magazines, on greeting cards, and as drawings on her living room walls. She has received numerous awards, including two Caldecott Honors for A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams and The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, both by Jen Bryant.