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aoosterwyk's review
4.0
This was a quick and informative book about George E. Ohr. I had never heard of him or his pottery, but our high school art teacher snatched it up instantly. It is full of photos of his pottery and his life. The title calls him an eccentric genius and he was definitely that.
amelia_herring's review
3.0
Fascinating story of an artist before his time. Great read-aloud for younger students in art classes, as it gets into the finer aspects of creating pottery.
crystal_reading's review
4.0
This is a very intriguing book not only for the way it is done, but mostly because of the subject matter. George was quite a character. The photos of his work are at times stunning, puzzling or even creepy. Loved it.
suzannedix's review
4.0
What a genius! Facing constant criticism and professional disappointment, George Ohr had a vision that would not be appreciated until long after his death. I am inspired by his courage and perseverance!
misspentdays's review
Biography of Mississippi potter George Ohr. Ohr was recognized during his life for his antics, but his "art pottery" was not given the respect he felt it deserved until the 1970s. The authors have been recognized with several Sibert and Orbis Pictus honors.
They turn their considerable talents to the tale of a man born in the wrong time. Ohr, who would fit in with the other artists on Magazine Street today, stood out in the late 1800s. His refusal to industrialize did nothing for his finances, but he managed to go his own way, becoming a "must see" tourist destination.
This book features many photographs of both the artist and his pottery, but is relatively high text. This is good for upper elementary and middle school. Brief chapters take the reader chronologically through his life and his pottery's rebirth in the 1970s. Ohr's story is an excellent example of going your own way and believing in yourself.
Because Ohr was known for not just is unusually shaped pots, but also his glazes, this would be a fun book to use in a chemistry lesson and not just in art class. This book is recommended for middle school libraries and public libraries.
They turn their considerable talents to the tale of a man born in the wrong time. Ohr, who would fit in with the other artists on Magazine Street today, stood out in the late 1800s. His refusal to industrialize did nothing for his finances, but he managed to go his own way, becoming a "must see" tourist destination.
This book features many photographs of both the artist and his pottery, but is relatively high text. This is good for upper elementary and middle school. Brief chapters take the reader chronologically through his life and his pottery's rebirth in the 1970s. Ohr's story is an excellent example of going your own way and believing in yourself.
Because Ohr was known for not just is unusually shaped pots, but also his glazes, this would be a fun book to use in a chemistry lesson and not just in art class. This book is recommended for middle school libraries and public libraries.
s_hay's review
4.0
This was an interesting book. Might have a narrow interest range of kids,but it would be good for high interest-low level readers. I do wish the author would have gone aliteracy more into Ohr's trick photography. It was a passing mention but sounded like another interesting hobby for this eccentric potter.
michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review
3.0
I loved all the photos of Ohr's beautiful pottery. I felt the writing seemed a bit disjointed, though. I also feel like I wish there was more information included about George Ohr.
maureenmccombs's review
4.0
Six levels of Bloom's Taxonomy Questions:
Remembering
When (what grade) did George Ohr stop going to school?
Understanding
Describe what is meant by Ohr being called the “Mad Potter”?
Applying
Think of a situation in the story, and tell me what you would have done? (i.e. Ohr moving back home with $26.80 in his pocket to start his own pottery business, or how he handled his house and workplace burning to the ground)
Analyzing
Distinguish between George Ohr’s early works of pottery and his later works of pottery.
My answer: George took to pottery like a natural, but his first works were more practical. His first works of pottery were souvenir items for tourists visiting Biloxi and items that people could use in their homes, i.e., pitchers, bowls, etc. Ohr’s later work was inspired by his time in New Orleans and his exposure to the idea of pottery being considered fine art. Ohr’s later works reflect this new change in attitude and although his pottery was not popular during his time, it has subsequently been sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Personally, I am a huge fan and would love to own a piece of Ohr pottery.
Evaluating
What did you like best about Ohr’s story? Which of the pieces photographed in the book is your favorite and why?
Creating
Create a new ending for the story. (What if Ohr had been a famous potter during his time. Would that have changed the value of his pottery today?)
Cross-over content area: Fine Arts because of the obvious connection to pottery and George Ohr's work; Physics(Science) because you could talk and hopefully demonstrate how the matter that is the clay changes with the introduction of water and the revolution of the pottery wheel; Geology (Science) because you could talk about how clay is found all over the world and discover the different types of clay and where they are found, Chemistry (Science) because you could discuss how Ohr achieved the glazes on his pots through experimentation with lead, sand and other colorants.
Robert F. Sibert Award 2014 Honor Book
Titlewave indicates the interest level of this book between third and sixth grade with a reading level of 6.7.
Remembering
When (what grade) did George Ohr stop going to school?
Understanding
Describe what is meant by Ohr being called the “Mad Potter”?
Applying
Think of a situation in the story, and tell me what you would have done? (i.e. Ohr moving back home with $26.80 in his pocket to start his own pottery business, or how he handled his house and workplace burning to the ground)
Analyzing
Distinguish between George Ohr’s early works of pottery and his later works of pottery.
My answer: George took to pottery like a natural, but his first works were more practical. His first works of pottery were souvenir items for tourists visiting Biloxi and items that people could use in their homes, i.e., pitchers, bowls, etc. Ohr’s later work was inspired by his time in New Orleans and his exposure to the idea of pottery being considered fine art. Ohr’s later works reflect this new change in attitude and although his pottery was not popular during his time, it has subsequently been sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Personally, I am a huge fan and would love to own a piece of Ohr pottery.
Evaluating
What did you like best about Ohr’s story? Which of the pieces photographed in the book is your favorite and why?
Creating
Create a new ending for the story. (What if Ohr had been a famous potter during his time. Would that have changed the value of his pottery today?)
Cross-over content area: Fine Arts because of the obvious connection to pottery and George Ohr's work; Physics(Science) because you could talk and hopefully demonstrate how the matter that is the clay changes with the introduction of water and the revolution of the pottery wheel; Geology (Science) because you could talk about how clay is found all over the world and discover the different types of clay and where they are found, Chemistry (Science) because you could discuss how Ohr achieved the glazes on his pots through experimentation with lead, sand and other colorants.
Robert F. Sibert Award 2014 Honor Book
Titlewave indicates the interest level of this book between third and sixth grade with a reading level of 6.7.
wordnerd153's review
3.0
I hadn't heard of Ohr until reading this book. His pottery is intriguing and his life was fascinating. Despite looking like a picture book, this is dense with text and appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students. Sometimes the text felt choppy and disconnected. Good class resource for CCSS connected to informational text.
erine's review
2.0
I think my expectations were too high. Based on the cover photo (I know, I know... I shouldn't have judged), this looked fascinating and fun. And the story of George Ohr's life was indeed, very engaging. The format was what ended up detracting from the story, and was the biggest disappointment to me. The accompanying photos were sporadically labeled, and were occasionally duplicated in multiple places. The headings were sometimes barely readable, due to the chosen typeface. The flow of the story itself was sometimes a little too clipped; this seemed to emulate the style of quotations from Ohr himself, but not to great effect.
Overall: the life of George Ohr makes this a worthwhile read, but this wasn't my favorite.
Overall: the life of George Ohr makes this a worthwhile read, but this wasn't my favorite.