That's How I See Things

by Sirish Rao, Bhajju Shyam (Illustrator)

Siena Baba is a happy artist with a strange way of seeing the world—and an even stranger way of painting it. People say his pictures look like nothing they know, but that doesn’t bother him. Until one day, he starts to paint an extraordinary set of ani-mals who don’t seem to appreciate just how fantastic they are . . .

Bhajju Shyam, the renowned Gond tribal artist from India, illustrates this humorous and profound tale about the power of art and the imagination.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creativity. Imagination. Animals. Art. Books. And, books for children that are about art & unique ways of looking at things. These are all here and these are some of my favorite things.

Children will enjoy naming (figuring out) the two animals that are part of each artistic creation.

I really enjoyed this very fun and clever book, and I think most children will also. This is a perfect read aloud book, as long as the reader allows the listener to participate, and independent readers will take pleasure in naming the hybrid animals and discovering the home the artist finds for them.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siena Baba was an artist, and like all artists, he had a vision. A snake with wings, a self-portrait with no face, a pig with peacock feathers, these images may have puzzled others, but to Siena, they simply represented the world as he saw it. But when his creations themselves - from the Deer-oise to the Monk-upine - object, the artist knows that he must find them the right venue... the right world!

Illustrated by Bhajju Shyam, a tribal artist of the Gond people of India, whose breathtakingly gorgeous work can also be found in The Night Life of Trees and The Flight of the Mermaid , That's How I See Things is another brilliant picture-book from Indian publisher, Tara Books. Sirish Rao's engaging narrative, with its neat (and very appropriate) solution to Siena Baba's dilemma, together with Shyam's eye-popping visuals, make this the ideal picture-book for would-be artists. Highly recommended!

[Sonaksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent a sultry afternoon locked up within beautiful walls filled with art and shelves lined with colourful spines. But what made all of that more exciting was reading this lovely book.

The book presents a space to initiate a conversation that is increasingly relevant with the constant competition, need to be seen and recognised and finding ways to understand oneself and one’s creative process. Apart from making a brilliant read for children to explore their imagination fearlessly and parents to encourage different kinds of ideas and thoughts, I definitely think this one is a must read for all teachers. Crucial to a child’s growth is the time spent in classes at school and if they are made to believe that there are no boundaries for imagination, we’d definitely have buckets of ideas to swim through.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crazy interpretations and the wildly different fearless thought process that the artist displayed in the book. I remember making little notes to self as constant reminders in times of doubt.

[Christine Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siena Baba is a happy artist with a strange way of seeing the world-and an even stranger way of painting it. People say his pictures look like nothing they know, but that doesn’t bother him. Until one day, he starts to paint an extraordinary set of ani-mals who don’t seem to appreciate just how fantastic they are . . . Bhajju Shyam , the renowned Gond tribal artist from India, illustrates this humorous and profound tale about the power of art and the imagination.

Subjects - India


Animals in art -- Pictorial works -- Juvenile fiction.


Children's stories -- Pictorial works.