“[Houts conveys] a clear sense of [Harper’s] amiable character.… [This] warm tribute offers a look behind the paint box.”
Kirkus Reviews
“After diving into a large reservoir of unpublished letters and photographs, Michelle Houts has emerged with the true story of a farm boy, WWII soldier, husband, and unique creative voice. Her well-crafted and thoroughly documented book—the first ever biography of my father—shows young readers their dreams can be realized through desire and hard work.”
Brett Harper, son of Charley and Edie Harper
“Charley Harper was a magic maker. He shifted our view of the natural world, translating it into contrasts, shapes, and geometric patterns. His genius gives us a whole new understanding of abstraction, bringing the natural and material worlds—and us along with them—into sublime harmony. Michelle Houts’s biography is an ideal introduction to his work for young would-be artists and naturalists.”
Will Hillenbrand, children’s illustrator and author
“As a native Cincinnatian and fellow illustrator, I have been hugely influenced in my own art by Charley Harper’s work. Michelle Houts’s recounting of Harper’s life—his influences, struggles, and his path toward his iconic style—gave me a new appreciation for his classic pieces. Better yet, this engaging book will help other future illustrators discover his work.”
Jeffrey Ebbeler, children’s book illustrator and author
When you look at a bird, do you see feathers and a beak? Or do you see circles and triangles? Artist Charley Harper spent his life reducing subjects to their simplest forms, their basic lines and shapes. This resulted in what he called minimal realism and the style that would become easily recognized as Charley Harper’s. Art fans and nature lovers around the world fell in love with Harper’s paintings, which often featured bright colors and intriguing nature subjects.
Harper’s love of painting and drawing led him from the hills of West Virginia to the bombed-out villages of Europe, to the streets of New York City, and to the halls of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. How did the farm boy who didn’t know a single artist become one of America’s most recognized midcentury modern painters? The answer is simple. He did it by counting the wings.
Count the Wings is the first book for middle-grade readers about Harper’s life and work. Author Michelle Houts worked closely with the Harper estate to include full-color illustrations, plentiful supplemental materials, and discussion questions that will intrigue and engage young readers. Count the Wings is part of our acclaimed Biographies for Young Readers series, which brings smart, expertly researched books about often overlooked but exceptional individuals to school-age readers.
Michelle Houts holds degrees in special education and speech-language pathology. She is the author of several fiction and nonfiction books for young readers, including the award-winning The Beef Princess of Practical County, The Practical County Drama Queen, and Winterfrost. More info →
Selected as a Choose to Read Ohio 2021 & 2022 Book for Tweens/Middle Grades
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Paperback
978-0-8214-2308-0
Retail price: $16.95,
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Release date: April 2018
74 illus.
·
144 pages
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6 × 9 in.
Rights: World
Hardcover
978-0-8214-2307-3
Retail price: $32.95,
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Release date: April 2018
74 illus.
·
144 pages
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6 × 9 in.
Rights: World
Electronic
978-0-8214-4635-5
Release date: April 2018
74 illus.
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144 pages
Rights: World
When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike
By Michelle Houts and Erica Magnus
In 1955, sixty-seven-year-old Emma “Grandma” Gatewood became the first woman to solo hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one through hike. Michelle Houts and Erica Magnus bring us the first children’s book about her feat and the unexpected challenges she encountered on the journey she initially called a “lark.”
Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography | Women · Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography | Sports & Recreation · Ohio · Appalachia · Young Readers
Kammie on First
Baseball’s Dottie Kamenshek
By Michelle Houts
Dorothy Mary Kamenshek was born to immigrant parents in Norwood, Ohio. As a young girl, she played pickup games of sandlot baseball with neighborhood children; no one, however, would have suspected that at the age of seventeen she would become a star athlete at the national level. The outbreak of World War II and the ensuing draft of able-bodied young men severely depleted the ranks of professional baseball players.
Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography | Women · Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography | Sports & Recreation · Ohio · Young Readers
Out of the Woods
A Bird Watcher’s Year
By Ora E. Anderson
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Edited by Deborah Griffith
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Foreword by Jean Andrews
Out of the Woods: A Bird Watcher’s Year is a journey through the seasons and a joyous celebration of growing old. In fifty-nine essays and poems, Ora E. Anderson, birder, bird carver, naturalist, and nature writer, reveals the insights and recollections of a keen-eyed observer of nature, both human and avian.
Aminah’s World
An Activity Book and Children’s Guide about Artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
By Carole Miller Genshaft
Children explore the life and art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson by interpreting her work and conceptualizing their own world in a fun and entertaining way.
Biography, Artists (Juvenile Nonfiction) · Art (Juvenile Nonfiction) · Ohio · Young Readers · Art
