The Art Collector — Jan Wahl

It was a chicken. It was magic.

Oscar's Great-Granny showed him how to draw. Oscar was not good at drawing. But he loved art, so he kept the drawing of a red chicken that Great-Granny gave to him and he loved to look at it. He bought another drawing at a flea market, and he loved looking at that one, too. As he grew up, Oscar collected more drawings and paintings, filling his bedroom with color and shapes and scenes. Oscar collected and collected until a museum had to be built to hold all of his drawings and paintings. Not everyone can become an artist, but as Oscar learned, everyone can love looking at art. Oscar's passion for the stories in paintings and the thoughts they provoke will inspire young readers to see art in a new way -- even if they don't enjoy making it themselves.