Art and Joy: Best Friends Forever by Danielle Krysa: Kids Book Review

 

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

ART & JOY: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

This wry and wisdom-filled children’s book from the author of How To Spot An Artist helps artists aged five and up discover the joy of artistic expression while silencing self-criticism.

 

Danielle Krysa, a children's book author and artist, has released a new book called Art & Joy: Best Friends Forever. This inspiring tale is designed to help young artists aged five and up overcome their inner critic and embrace their artistic expression. The book tells the story of two best friends, Art and Joy, who stand up to the "Art Bully" that criticizes their creative endeavors.

Krysa understands that children also have an inner critic, and her book empowers them to tap into their imaginations, shrug off negativity, and express themselves freely through art. The book's brilliantly colored collages and witty typography add humor and depth to the story as Art and Joy explore the art world, discovering clever ways to get their creative juices flowing using color, shape, line, and found objects.

Art & Joy: Best Friends Forever teaches children to embrace creativity and express themselves freely. Art & Joy is now available at major bookstores and online retailers.

Reading age: ‎ 5 - 9 years

Grade level: ‎ Kindergarten - 4

DANIELLE KRYSA, aka The Jealous Curator, is an artist and illustrator with over a quarter of a million Instagram followers. Her previous book, How To Spot An Artist, won Best Picture Book Page in the 2021 Children’s Book Council’s Kids’ Book Choice Award in the 3-8 age range category. She lives in British Columbia, Canada.

While my daughter has mostly moved onto chapter books these days, she still has a few picture books that she returns to time and time again when she's looking for a shorter read. Among her favorites? How to Spot an Artist! She absolutely loves art, so she enjoyed this fun story that reminds young artists that all people can create art, and they can make art however they see fit. I can't help but love the story too--- both for its encouraging message and its fun style. 

When we learned that the author had written a new book, we were excited to check it out... and were happy to find that this one is every bit as wonderful too. Sadly, there are too many art bullies out there, and all too often they can destroy the joy we find in creativity. Sometimes, we're the art bullies ourselves. This shared that important message in a way that kids could relate to... and that made it fun too. We saw that same great style that we loved in the previous book in this one too. 

While my daughter is at the very end of the recommended age group, she absolutely adores this book. I feel like this is a message that kids need sometimes... and if we're being honest, perhaps a message many of us adults could use from time to time too.