Lisa Railsback

Noonie's Masterpiece would have been my FAVORITE book in elementary school. Noonie is a surprisingly dedicated artist for a 4th grader, she carries her art supplies with her everywhere and creates art whenever the mood strikes her, be it a parking lot or in the hallway. But it's not surprising Noonie has latched onto art the way she has, her mother died when she was younger (she was also an artist), her father is away on archaeological digs and she lives with her aunt, uncle and cousin.

The show more story is very rich for those of us that love the arts, it's like a who's who of famous artists, I think it's a wonderful way for children to be introduced to these masters of the art world in a fun and relevant way. And the book doesn't just talk about art, it IS art. The illustrations and paintings in this book make it for me. They are silly, random, touching and so so colorful. I found myself being disappointed when there wasn't more than a little pattern on some of the pages after seeing other pages so over saturated with art. I love it.

I would highly suggest this for elementary school aged children that show an interest in the arts! show less

I just couldn't believe in Betti/Babo or her adoptive family, though some of the other characters felt more real. Perhaps because of that the action all seemed perfunctory, crossing narrative t's and dotting emotional i's.

Fantastic story about a girl named Noonie Norton. She's a quirky kid with art on the brain. She misses her parents, and struggles to find her place in the world with family and friends. Art is her outlet and salvation. The art history descriptions of actual art Masters is a bonus. This story is inspiring and I loved all the eclectic illustrations! Thumbs up!

So why is this book getting such a high rating? Because it is simply that good. It's not that it's a wildly made up fantasy about sparkly paranormal creatures or shape changing critters (though I love stories about both and the little girl in this story DOES have quite an imagination). It's not that it's a true story being recounted breath by breath (though it certainly could be and is is some fashion for many out there). It IS in fact the way the story speaks straight to your heart....by show more passing the mind and thought process that begs you to straighten out mispoken words, or make sense of non-sensible situations. It speaks in a language that we can all understand on some level. It combines the storytelling abilities of young Betti while delivering a truth about her and her life that's inevitable. You see it coming, and yet not as you are held captive by the level of emotions released page by page.

Certainly a story that children can enjoy with it's recounting of circus life, the "lie berry" and "fow tins"...but also a very touching book for the adult reader with whom the real world tragedies may echo even deeper. Happy reading... show less