Book Review: Can You Be an Artist? By Liesel Soley

Dare to follow your dreams!

Dare to be yourself!

Dare to be free!

This is the premise of Liesel Soley’s inspiring picture book for children, Can You Be an Artist?

Freddie, Honey and Bae are so different culturally speaking, but they are so alike at the same time. They all have one thing in common: they have a big dream and they believe in making that dream come true. Freddie wants to become a violinist. He sees himself playing in a string quartet and starts practicing every day. Honey wants to become a painter. He sees his paintings in other people’s houses and begins to experiment with colored pencils and oil paints. Bae wants to become a dancer. He sees himself dancing in his home country and begins taking dance lessons. As they channel their creative energies, their behavior and school work begin to shine.

Can you be an artist? it is a celebration of dreams and the arts. Using straightforward, engaging prose and not preaching, the author presents snapshots from the lives of Freddie, Honey, and Bae to encourage young minds to have dreams and goals and take the steps necessary to make them come true. The book is an invitation to the world of the arts. The adorable crayon illustrations are rich in detail and depict beautiful scenes both indoors and outdoors. I especially loved the illustrations of flowers, gardens, animals, trees, and the seasons.

This is a wonderful book that introduces children to the arts and unleashes their creativity. Especially if your child has already expressed an interest in playing an instrument, painting, or dancing, this book will give an invaluable proactive message: dreams don’t become reality by themselves; it is vital to work and practice to grow as an artist.

About the author: Liesel Soley, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and a Fulbright scholar in Paris, France, is a professional violinist. Soley has performed solo recitals in the United States and France and was a violinist in the piano trio Trio Viva. He has taught violin at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and violin and viola at St. Petersburg College and the Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. Today, Liesel Soley shares her love of music with children as well as adults in Clearwater, Florida, where she teaches violin, viola, and chamber music privately and in an after-school program at Shorecrest High School in St. Petersburg. Soley has found a welcome relief from very disciplined, intensive and slow work with the violin in her other artistic mediums of expression; writing, painting and drawing.