©2006 Matthew Trueman
Client: Houghton Mifflin Company
Medium: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Paper
Size: various sizes
Use: Children's Book

ORIGINAL ART IN COLLECTIONS

-Private Collector in Minnesota

-Public Collection: Cover art at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library in Ohio

        Credit: Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

AWARDS

-New York Public Library Children's Books 2006:
One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing

-Book Sense Winter 2006-2007 Children's Picks List.

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REVIEWS

"Fun imagery from spilled food and upset, energetic and seasick animals are included throughout the pages;
I enjoyed the curlicue sunrays and the pointy-headed cardinals.
Illustrator Matthew Trueman's masterfully created images come alive on the pages, created in mixed media
including pencil, gouache, acrylics and collage with an over-glaze of oil paint."
Copyright ©2007.Lillian Brummet  for curled up with a good kid's book

“The stylized mixed-media illustrations (pencil, gouache, acrylics, and collage with an overglaze of oil paint) perfectly match the idiosyncratic
tone of the story. In the background the land and water undulate across the pages, highlighting the activity  and movement of the tales, as Noah
and various scene-stealing animals are pictured surrounded by wooden frames, as if the viewer is looking through a window into the crowded,
sometimes chaotic, ark. The story and the artwork, both simple and wonderfully complex, work well on many levels“.-Randall Enos
Copyright ©2006. Booklist, 9-15-2006

“The real pleasure here lies in Trueman’s arresting, fantastical illustrations, which combine a strong design sensibility in elements such as the
changing character of the abstracted sun and the use of wood frames to indicate  scenes aboard the ark, but which also offer vivid and creative
portraiture for Noah, and especially, the animals; an oil glaze adds texture, often appropriately woolly, to the mixed-media images and the big
blunt heads, oversized eyes, and expressive poses of the sheep give them a definite scene-stealing ability. With the lively art to draw viewer interest,
this could work in concert with other tales of clothing (such as de Paola’s Charlie Needs a Cloak, BCCB 6/74) or winter warm-ups“. DS
Copyright ©2006. The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 2006

"This book couldn't be more fun. Noah has his doubts about the task he's been asked to do, but with some problem-solving he succeeds
and then adds a few other important discoveries to his list of accomplishments. The illustrations are delightful and clever in this fresh
take on the wonders of discovery." --Beverly Bauer, Redbery Books, Cable, WI
The Winter 2006/2007 Book Sense Children's Picks

"Trueman's mixed-media illustrations add to the fun.
The interesting use of ark windows provides snapshots into shipboard life, including some animals' penchant for gnawing or pecking at the frames.
Even the changeable patterns of the sun and rays catch viewers' attention.
A good choice for storytime sharing before a romp in the snow.–Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
From School Library Journal
Copyright ©2006 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Trueman's humorously stylized mixed-media illustrations have a doll-like sculptural quality.
In the main, they are presented in carefully carpentered wooden frames that resemble the windows of the ark.
Although the sheep dominate the story, we see other animals. The beavers chew on the frames; the woodpeckers peck away.
When the sheep finally disembark with their new, curly wool coats, they clearly express the joy of all the released passengers,
as Noah and his felt-warmed family delight in their first sleigh ride. After the fun, we get the facts about felt and its manufacture".
©2006 Children's Literature

"This book couldn't be more fun.
Noah has his doubts about the task he's been asked to do, but with some problem-solving he succeeds and then adds a few other
important discoveries to his list of accomplishments. The illustrations are delightful and clever in this fresh take on the wonders of discovery."
--Beverly Bauer, ©2006 Redbery Books, Cable, WI