Hands: Growing up to Be an Artist

by Lois Ehlert

A child watches her mother and father as they work with their hands, and she knows she wants to build and sew and garden and paint just like them. When they give her a special place to work, lots of good materials, and plenty of encouragement, she makes the most wonderful things! “It’s a work that looks simple, but encompasses at least as many grand notions as Ehlert’s first book, Growing Vegetable Soup .”-- Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Biography, Family, Nonfiction, Crafts

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Lois Ehlert has created numerous inventive, celebrated, and bestselling picture books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Holey Moley, The Scraps Book, Mice, Ten Little Caterpillars, RRRalph, Lots of Spots, Boo to You!, Leaf Man, Waiting for Wings, Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup, and Color Zoo, which received a Caldecott Honor. She lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story by Lois Ehlert is a short explanation of a child looking after her role models: her mother and father. In this case, the small child is Lois Ehlert herself who wanted to grow up to be an artist, starting this wish at a very early age. Each page is a simple statement about something that her father or mother does relating to art. It is then followed by a sentence telling how she works to be like them. The story progresses and explains how, as Lois grows, so does her ability to be creative and to help her mother and father out on various projects. Whether that is in her father's shop, at her mother's craft table, or in the garden, she was always willing to practice as she grows artistically.
In this very appealing piece of literature, Ehlert creates an aesthetically appealing book. Every page in this small book is a different length, shape, and color. On each one is a different tool, scrap, or art-related item that relates to the text. With the use of different shapes and vibrant colors, Ehlert shares her artistic talents with the reader. This book would be appropriate for a preschooler or primary grade children. They would find it extremely intriguing because each page is a new discovery. It is an easy read, but one that keeps the reader interested because of the variety found with each turn of the page.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem!

We love Lois Ehlert's artistic picture books but this is now our favorite!

It's about a family of artists and is a little work of art itself.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a fictional picture book as I was reading it, but the author’s note at the end makes clear that this is a mini biography of one aspect of Ehlert’s childhood.

She comes from a family where everyone made things with their hands. She talks about what her father makes, what her mother makes, what she makes and wanted to make in the future and what she wanted to be when she grew up. Family identity and creativity are both very important here.

I’m not sure how scintillating the story is here, but the art and the pages are a lot of fun. The pages are all different shapes, as befitting their topic, and the art styles are very interesting. They are realistic and give a good sense of what a messy active artsy family’s stuff looks like. I like that the girl shares with her parents not only art and making things, but gardening too.

I think kids will really enjoy the unusual page shapes and their pictures. Kids who like making things/making art or gardening or those who share certain important activities with their families will probably enjoy this book.

Despite finding this story interesting, especially given that it’s about the author-illustrator’s life, and despite finding the familial self-expression laudable, I wasn’t as engaged as I thought I’d be.

Oh, I did like how Lois and her mother made cat toys!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book with my four-year-old son, since he likes to "write" books. This book is about Lois Ehlert's childhood development as an artist. We see that her dad works with wood and her mom sews. She loves to help them. Then they give her her own little spot for creating things.

This book features Ehlert's signature die-cut pages, and a few flaps to lift up. The art is some of my favorite of all her books, especially the gloves and the paint box.

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

More stars please!!!! This book is a 10!

Beautiful in every possible way - the illustrations, the creative layout, the message, the meaning ... all of it is stunning!

Ehlert inspires once again to create with our children, to empty the waste bucket only when the creativity has found it's way through us and to make space in our lives for the simple things in life, sewing, gardening, kniting and all the seemingly lost arts.

Stunning, just stunning.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book! It is wonderful and inspiring! Please parents give your child their own work space near yours with lots of supplies and let their imaginations grow. Creativity cab be the cure for many problems including boredom, grief, and even loneliness. Go get your hands dirty! Thank you Lois Ehlert for the best book I have read in a very long time! This is not just a picture book for young children, it is a work of art and if you appreciate creativity it will inspire children and adults no matter their age.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is touching how Los Ehlert uses her art style to pay homage to her parents. For her Mother she illustrates her sewing abilities and her gardening abilities. For the gardening she has one page a green glove and for her father she illustrates tools and one page is shaped like a yellow work glove
Ehlert was a talented artist.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful little book that shows the reader an important part of the author’s childhood. Both of her parents were artistic, and she tried to be like them. They were influential in her decision to be an artist herself. This book is beautifully designed; pages are of different shapes and sizes, and brightly illustrated.

[Tasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for preschool and kindergarteners. Hands is about how the author watches her parents work with their hands, which inspires her to do the same. It has themes of inspiration, family, and hard work.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaped like a big glove, this book is all about what type of creativity hands can produce.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

there is not much context in this book. my rating would have been a little lower had it not been for my toddler loving a different page shapes.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that seems like a mini biography of the author when she was little and liked to draw. Creative way to do a bio. My son loved the colorful illustrations and flaps.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

AR 2.0

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author and the collection created
Very unique style to the illustrations
Loved it

[Sarah Landolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is the coolest book ever!” said my niece throughout the book.

[Lynsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cute, and I think it could influence a lot of kids to get creative and make things. I liked how multiple types of crafts and art are represented.

[Cathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book about creativity!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet love letter to making.

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning and simple origin tale.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Checked out at Kilbourn Public Library 📚 in Wisconsin

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the clever way the pages are cut, fitted, and artistically decorated to help tell the story about the little girl (a girl much like Ehlert herself) who is fascinated with art and completely inspired and supported by her parents. The story itself is moving, and I find myself getting to know the characters quite well without ever seeing their faces. And Lois Ehlert, in her author's note, says, "Creativity is within all of us; we just need time-and a place-to nurture it." This book got me, I'm not going to lie.

[Hannah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every single page is filled stunning photographs of objects you use to make things and the cool stuff you can make using them. Some of the pages are even shaped like the objects - scissors, a set of watercolors, gardening gloves. The message in this book - about how Ehlert connects with her parents through the things she makes - is so lovely. I read somewhere that the potholder in this book was made by Ehlert when she was a child. I think it would be really cool if the other objects in this book were also authentic pieces of her childhood.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy Lois Ehlert's books because they are like works of art. Hands is no exception, it's a wonderful book to explore (it's even a fun size). I gave this book only three stars because I didn't think the writing was very cohesive for such a short work, the story starts with one thread and ends on another, I found that distracting.

[Meghan]

I really enjoyed reading this book, because it talked about a family who is always making some kind of art, and the child realizes she wants to do something similar too. The book is really interesting because the pages are cut out into different shapes like hands, which makes the story even more interesting.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really neat book, with cut-outs for different parts of the story (gloves, a paint kit, scissors). However, I don't know how I'd use it other than a storytime one-on-one. I felt like the story was a little too simplistic and jolted to enjoy on a one-on-one, though, and the book format would not work well at a large storytime.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully photographed and colorful book describing how Ehlert became an artist with her hands. Features her father's workshop and her mother's sewing and gardening, and her own creative supplies. Has a kind of lift-the-flap style that makes child #2 like it especially.
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[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always drawn to books by Lois Ehlert and I enjoyed this clever lift-the-flap book which shares her creative upbringing. This book will encourage and inspire budding artists of all ages.

"Creativity is within all of us; we just need time - and a place - to nurture it." —Lois Ehlert

[Tori Davenport]

This book is super cute. It's about a child who works with their father in his woodshop and works with their mother with her sewing. The child ends up having a work place of their own. This is a cute book for kids to read if they like to work with their hands.

[Artlab]

Make things with handprints!

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. Holden and I would read it a lot. It teaches children to pattern themselves after the good things in their parents.

On the hardcover shelf.