Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell

"Colors burst across each page, with layers of collage-work emphasizing the richness of Mitchell's influences and imagination. Will speak to readers just starting their own exploration of artistic expression." -Booklist (starred review)Celebrate the captivating life of Joni Mitchell, the world-famous songbird who used her music to ignite and inspire an entire generation, in this stunning picture book biography from award-winning author and illustrator Selina Alko. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It's a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.Joni Mitchell painted with words.Sitting at her piano or strumming the guitar, she turned the words into songs.The songs were like brushstrokes on a canvas, saying things that were not only happy or sad but true.But before composing more than two hundred songs, Joni was a young girl from a town on the Canadian prairie, where she learned to love dancing, painting, birdsong, and piano. As she grew up into an artist, Joni took her strong feelings-feelings of love and frustration, and the turbulence that came with being a young woman-and wrote them into vivid songs.Brought to life by Selina Alko's rainbow collages and lyrical language, this heartfelt portrait of a feminist and folk icon is perfect for parents, children, and music lovers everywhere.Back matter includes a letter from the author and Joni's full discography."An inspired and creative ode to the inimitable Joni Mitchell."-Kirkus"Layered mixed-media collages featuring cut paper, found images, and colorful smears of paint effectively evoke the richly rendered emotional landscapes of Mitchell's songwriting." -Publishers Weekly