Five Things They Never Told Me (21 page)
Read Five Things They Never Told Me Online
Authors: Rebecca Westcott
Puffin is over seventy years old.
Sounds ancient,
doesn't it? But Puffin has never been so lively. We're always on the
lookout for the next big idea, which is how it began all those years ago.
Penguin Books was a big idea from the mind of a man called Allen
Lane, who in 1935 invented the quality paperback and changed the world.
And
from great Penguins, great Puffins grew, changing the face of children's
books forever.
The first four Puffin Picture Books were hatched in 1940 and the
first Puffin story book featured a man with broomstick arms called Worzel Gummidge.
In 1967 Kaye Webb, Puffin Editor, started the Puffin Club, promising to
âmake children into readers'
. She kept that promise
and over 200,000 children became devoted Puffineers through their quarterly
instalments of
Puffin Post
.
Many years from now, we hope you'll look back and remember
Puffin with a smile.
No matter what your age or what you're into,
there's a Puffin for everyone.
The possibilities are endless, but
one thing is for sure: whether it's a picture book or a paperback, a sticker
book or a hardback,
if it's got that little Puffin on it â it's
bound to be good.
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand | South Africa
Puffin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at
global.penguinrandomhouse.com
.
First published 2015
Copyright © Rebecca Westcott Smith, 2015
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-141-35992-2
*
Family Group
(1948â49) by Henry Moore. This sculpture is supposed to show a family the way it's meant to be. You know, a kid and a couple of parents, all close and hugging each other. Yeah, well, I reckon that someone needs to make a new sculpture, because not all families look like this. My Family Group would show a screaming mum walking away, while the dad sat quietly with his head in his hands and the kid plugged herself into her iPod and wished that they'd all just shut up. That'd be way more realistic
.
*
The Scream
(1893) by Edvard Munch. This freaky painting shows a figure in front of a red sky. Nobody knows why he's screaming but I think it's obvious. He's sick and tired of nobody listening to him, that's why. He knows that just normal talking isn't going to get him noticed, so he screams instead. And it works, because everyone in the world knows this painting. His scream got him some attention.
*
The Forest
(1927) by Max Ernst. This picture makes me feel like it's hard to breathe properly. The trees are so close together and the spaces between them look like zips â as if at any moment the trees might get zipped together and the sky will be shut out. The bird is trapped in a cage, surrounded by scary, sinister forest and no matter how much it cries it can't get free. This picture means only bad things. It reminds me of the story of Hansel and Gretel â that story always gave me serious heebie-jeebies.
*
Landscape from a Dream
(1936â38) by Paul Nash. I love this oil painting. There's a mirror that reflects a landscape totally different to the landscape in the painting. I think it means that things aren't always what they first seem. That maybe, if you turn round, you'll find something that you weren't expecting. It reminds me of a book that Mum gave me that had been hers when she was younger, called
Marianne Dreams
by Catherine Storr. Totally freaky but in a good way.
*
The Waterfall
(1943) by Arshile Gorky. When I look at this painting it feels like I can almost hear the sound of running water. I like abstract paintings (although sometimes I do think that maybe I could just chuck some paint on a canvas and give it a random title and sell it for millions). This painting looks peaceful to me.
*
To the Unknown Voice
(1916) by Wassily Kandinsky. Every time I look at this picture I see something different. I think you could use this watercolour and ink painting to tell a hundred stories, but never really know whose voice you can hear.
*
Grannies
(2006) by Banksy. We did a whole topic last year in school about whether graffiti could ever be classed as art. This was one of my favourite pictures. The two grannies are working so hard at their knitting and it's only when you see the words that they are knitting into their jumpers that you start to think. The granny writing âthug for life' looks like my Granny Edna. It's kind of hard to imagine an old person being a thug but that's what this picture makes you do. I suppose it isn't just young people that can behave badly.
*
Looking Back to a Bright Future
(2003) by Julie Mehretu. This artist makes massive pictures on huge canvases using ink and acrylics. When I look at this painting it makes me feel that there might be good things ahead but that getting there could be difficult. It makes me wonder if it's really worth all the effort?
*
Fairy Tale
(1944) by Hans Hoffmann. I think that this looks like two arms, creating a messy, complicated, world. It's called
Fairy Tale
because it's full of fear and dark forces and winding pathways that never lead anywhere. It shows the uselessness of looking for a happy ending.
*
I'm Too Sad to Tell You
(1970) by Bas Jan Ader. This photograph is a self-portrait. The artist never told anyone why he was so sad, but he sent this photo to his friends. Sometimes words don't work. Sometimes we have to find other ways to tell people how we're feeling. Sometimes nobody can hear your voice.
*
The Persistence of Memory
(1931) by Salvador Dali. This painting shows three watches that have all melted and are oozing over various things. They have all stopped at different times, which is why I
think
it's called
The Persistence Of Memory
. No matter how much time passes and no matter what terrible things may happen, we still remember. Sometimes I'm glad to have memories and sometimes I wish that they'd go away. Memories aren't always a good thing â not if they remind you of something you'll never have ever again.
*
Summer
(1573) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. This is cool! I'm definitely going to try to do this myself â make my own face using fruit and vegetables. I really like his cucumber nose and his peapod smile. I bet Giuseppe was a fun person to hang around with. And let's face it â it's way more exciting to create art with this stuff than to actually eat it!
*
Dimpled Cheeks
(1955) by Jean Dubuffet. This artist used butterfly wings as a collage to make a picture of an old lady. The wings totally look like that weird browny-orange material that old ladies like to wear. She looks kind, though, even though she is made out of dead animals. She makes me think that she'd be a good listener if you needed a friendly ear.
*
Cracked Earth Removed
(1986) by Andy Goldsworthy. I suppose that this is kind of a sculpture. The artist found some ground where the earth was all cracked and took away certain pieces. Probably everybody thought he was mad but he knew what he wanted. He kept going and then, when you see it from above, it looks like an entire world. He took something away and made a totally new thing. This makes me think that sometimes, it's worth trying something new. Just to see what happens.
*
Here I Am, Here I Stay
(1990) by Louise Bourgeois. A pair of feet in a glass box, on top of a big slab of marble. Some people might think that this is a bit weird and if I'm honest, so do I â but in a good way. It makes me think about how amazing humans can be. How, if we're determined enough, we can do almost anything. Some people don't have staying power and they think it's OK to leave. This sculpture reminds me that not everybody goes. Some people stay with you, no matter what.
*
The Dog
(1957) by Pablo Picasso. My favourite picture EVER. Picasso drew a picture of his dog with just one line but he still managed to exactly sum up how brilliant and fun and loyal his dachshund was. Just like my Picasso. He drew other animals like this too, but I think the dog is his best one (although the camel is actually pretty genius too).