A primer for thinking about art focuses on elements of 18 square, abstract paintings created by Mo Willems in colored ink and acrylic and presented in pairs of two. The paintings in each pair use the same color scheme, but other aspects of the two images are strikingly different, setting up “opposite” questions, one about each painting. A large black circle floats against a blackish gray background: “Is this dark?” A bright white circle sits on a background of solid gray: “Is this light?” Jagged, shard-like shapes in oranges and teals: “Is this broken?” Orderly patterns in the same color scheme: “Is this fixed?” The contrasting images and questions invite comparisons, too, as well as conversation and deep thinking about perception and point of view that can extend beyond the works and words themselves. (Age 6 and older)

Mo Willems, award-winning, best-selling author/illustrator and inaugural Education Artist-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, delivers a masterfully inquisitive look at opposites.


Is this dark? Is this light? Is this soft? Is this hard? Using colors, shapes, lines and textures, Willems invites readers to explore abstract concepts through eye-popping, emotive, and highly-accessible artwork.


This all-ages concept book is perfect for readers young or old, big or small, or any other set of opposites.