Book of the Week: "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More" by Karen Beaumont, Illustrated by David Catrow

"Yuck!" That's all I can say about the Chicago weather right now. Rain, rain, rain! If there was ever a week to cuddle up with a good book, it's this week!

Books and art projects are the only good things about cold, rainy days. So this week's book is all about art. It's one of my favorites, I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow. This book is a perfect storytime book. It starts with a "Mama" catching her little one "paintin' pictures on the floor/and the ceiling/and the walls/and the curtains/and the door" and just about everything else! She dunks the little artist in a bath tub and hides those paints on the top shelf of the closet. Our little hero promises that "I ain't gonna paint no more, no more, I ain't gonna paint no more." But, with a few boxes, a stool, and amusingly, a bowling ball, the paints are rescued from the closet.  

Reunited with his paints, this little guy can't resist taking some red and painting his... head! Each page turn reveals a new part of our artist's body turned a rainbow of colors! Catrow's quirky illustrations really compliment Beaumont's amusing rhythmic text. The story is based on an old folk song, so it flows nicely and is fun to read out loud! It's a great book for body part and color recognition for our littler bookworms, and for our big readers, it's great for talking about right/wrong and cause/effect. Hope this cheerful book brightens up your rainy day!

Get your playtime in despite the rain at Bubbles Academy's Open Play! You can hear Miss Becca read I Ain't Gonna Paint No More at Open Play Story Time this Thursday at 4 p.m. See you there!