- a young boy, who loves to draw, dreams of becoming an artist
- the public school continually suppresses his individuality with ridiculous rules
- against the odds, Tommy grows up and fulfills his dreams
- clean language
Type: picture book
Ages: 4-7
Author: Tomie dePaola
As I understand it, this is an autobiographical story of dePaola’s childhood, so my criticism is not toward him as much as it is toward the government schooling system. Interestingly, after I read it the first time and formed my own opinions, I perused Goodreads–it appears that most 5-star reviewers are of the same socialistic rhetoric formed over the last few generations. I won’t get into that here, but if you want book recommendations, just let me know. 😉
Fortunately, The Art Lesson has a good ending and, as always with dePaola, the illustrations are pleasantly inviting.