Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois
by Amy Novesky; Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Harry N. Abrams (March 1, 2016)
Nonfiction * Art * Biography
Audience: Grades 2 to 4
Indiebound | Worldcat

About the book:
Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) was a world-renowned modern artist noted for her sculptures made of wood, steel, stone, and cast rubber. Her most famous spider sculpture, Maman, stands more than 30 feet high.

Just as spiders spin and repair their webs, Louise’s own mother was a weaver of tapestries. Louise spent her childhood in France as an apprentice to her mother before she became a tapestry artist herself. She worked with fabric throughout her career, and this biographical picture book shows how Bourgeois’s childhood experiences weaving with her loving, nurturing mother provided the inspiration for her most famous works. With a beautifully nuanced and poetic story, this book stunningly captures the relationship between mother and daughter and illuminates how memories are woven into us all.

My thoughts on the book:

On Sunday, in response to a post I made about reading Cloth Lullaby, author, Anne Nesbet tweeted the following:

It really is amazing that we can have books such as this to share. Picture book biographies open a door for children to learn about individuals who have made all types of contributions to society. Including the opportunity to learn about a French-born American Artist who influenced and inspired dozens of young artists.

Amy Novesky focuses on Bourgeouis's relationship with her mother and how it significantly influenced her career as an artist.

Her early work with cloth and the weaving together of pieces of cloth and tapestries, alongside her mother, lend to the art design of the book and the themes that pop off the pages.

Though I was not familiar with Bourgeois or her most well-known work of art, Maman, by the end, I was curious to learn more about this amazing artist.

This video from YouTube shows the installation of Bourgeois' MAMAN. Fast forward to the last minute or so to see the complete sculpture.

Pick up a copy of Cloth Lullaby at your local indie bookstore or check out a copy at your community library.