A WORLD OF PICTURES. "This is Our Land: Discovering America and the World Through Original Illustrations from Children’s Books," currently on display at the Portland Children’s Museum, allows visitors to view colorful illustrations and read prose of more than 80 children’s books. (AR Photo/Felicia Tripp Folsom)

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #15 (April 8, 2008), page 17.

By Josephine Bridges

It’s well worth the hurry to catch "This is Our Land: Discovering America and the World Through Original Illustrations from Children’s Books," on display at the Portland Children’s Museum through April 27. Children are severe critics, often scrutinizing the pictures in their books again and again. Illustrators must rise to the challenge of keeping them captivated, something the artists represented here have had no trouble accomplishing.

And like the best children’s books, this exhibit will appeal to people of all ages.

Beginning with faraway places, then working our way closer to home, let’s have a look at Mehrnoosh Masoumian’s cut paper collage entitled "Mommy and I Often Go Shopping." Highly stylized, in a vivid but limited range of colors, this sophisticated illustration from Foroushgah va man (Me and the Store) gives us an unexpected angle on Iran.

Moving east, we visit India. "There Was a Grand Reception Under the Banyan Tree," by Bindulika Sharma, is as detailed as the previous illustration is spare. The artist uses oil on paper to evoke a joyful outdoor event in perfect weather. Reds, yellows, greens, and golds shimmer in this painting from Lal Topi.

China is next on our list, and He Zhihong’s "Oranges Flew Everywhere," is just plain fun. Using colored ink on yellow rice paper, the artist depicts a bustling and celebratory outdoor market with — whoops! — a little collision resulting in the redistribution of a number of bright and juicy little orbs. Long-Long’s New Year is the start of a fine year indeed.

Ho Baek Lee’s gentle and delicate mixed-media illustration of a rabbit in traditional festive Korean attire lowers the energy level and warms the heart. Simple, but far from simplistic, this is the work of a master. "It Fits Perfectly" from While We Were Out — in Conte crayon, marker, and watercolor on paper — may not grab your attention because it’s such a quiet offering. Seek it out; don’t miss this one.

Hawaii links Asia and the United States, and it is represented here by two illustrations from Pua’s Paniolo Parade. Christine Joy Pratt’s "Pineapple Fields" and "Ukulele Gathering" are both scratchboard and watercolor on paper with clean, strong lines and subdued colors, but they depict contrasts: work and play, day and night, leave-taking and getting together.

Far away on the other side of the United States is New York — Chinatown to be exact. You can feel the heat generated by a row of woks in William Low’s oil on board "Chinese Cooks," and it’s not hard to imagine the smell of your favorite Chinese delicacies. What the artist does with light and shadow through the use of orange, blue, and white is nothing short of amazing.

And that’s just the beginning. Don’t miss Oregon; like Hawaii, we’ve got two illustrations. Check out a picture of a place you’ve never been. Go with a kid, go with a crowd, go by yourself — but go.

Fortunately, the Portland Children’s Museum, located at 4015 S.W. Canyon Road, is open every day from 9:00am to 5:00pm. For more information, call (503) 223-6500 or visit <www.portlandcm.org>, but don’t dawdle: your last chance to see the world in illustrations from 80 children’s books is the last Sunday in April.