Here are some comments from the book blogging community about “Mattoo, Let’s Play”.

• “Such a great example of a child’s imagination!”
• “I absolutely love the illustrations in this book.”
• “I love how the illustrations show imagination at work.”

Mattoo, Let’s Play! is the first picture book that has been both written and illustrated by Irene Luxbacher. Mattoo, Let’s Play! is published by Kids Can Press and is now in stores (February 2010).

Here are a couple of early reviews of Mattoo, Let’s Play!

I love Larsen’s story, its celebration of the rich imagination of children, and I love Luxbacher’s art here, rendered in pen and ink and multimedia collage. It’s an absolute feast for the eyes, with her generous—but well-composed and not too overwhelming—splashes of brilliant color. (The forget-me-not spread, “Poppa’s favorite flower,” puts the pop in eye-popping.) I hope that Luxbacher, who also teaches art, does even more children’s books.

“…But what made me LOVE the book were the illustrations. Oh my goodness, they are simply gorgeous. Luxbacher uses pen and ink and multimedia collage, with bold, deep colors. The flowers, in particular, positively leap from the page. These are pictures that I would put on my wall in a heartbeat. Theo and Poppa’s bodies are rendered using colorful collage, while their faces are drawn in more refined pen and ink, a contrast that works well.”…

Painting is fun, and 123 I Can Paint! by Irene Luxbacher captures all the fun of painting sceneries and exploring art with 8 great lessons for children ages 4 to 7. Each project explores a basic painting technique and demonstrates how colors affect the mood and atmosphere of a painting. Art teachers, homeschooler, and parents of young artists have much to gain from 123 I Can Paint! The supplies needed for each project are very basic items. The instructions are also very easy to follow and teach to young children.

Teach young children the basics of sculpting with 123 I Can Sculpt by Irene Luxbacher. 123 I Can Sculpt by Irene Luxbacher is a great introduction to sculpting. The projects are fun and interesting. The format is also easy to follow. For teachers and home schooling parents, each sculpting lesson can easily be worked into an existing reading, natural science, or social studies lesson. For parents, there is no better book on the market that shows kids how to have fun while sculpting their favorite animals.

The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art encourages kids to always keep their eyes open for natural materials that can be used in art projects while also reminding children not to harm or damage their natural environment. This book also teaches children to try new tools and techniques, and serves as an excellent resource for art teachers. The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art is a fantastic and versatile book that can be used across curriculums: mythical creatures for language arts, prehistoric images for history or social studies, and decomposition for science. Highly recommended for educators, the home school curriculum, and curious children.