The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell: Based on the Childhood of a Great American Artist

Joey Cornell, like many kids, liked to collect things. Anything that caught his eye, he would pick up and store in his collection. As the years went on, his collection grew and grew. Before long, it would not fit in his room. He had to move his collection to the barn. But he never stopped collecting. He would haul things home from the junkyard. He would bring things from the second-hand store. And his collection grew. But then something awful happened and Joey’s father died. Joey wanted his family to have one happy afternoon. He created art pieces from his collection and invited his family into his exhibit. This was the beginning of a wonderful art career.

Author Candace Fleming focusses on the early life of Joey Cornell for this charming picture book but satisfies curious readers with an excellent author’s note that tells of Cornell’s success as an artist. It includes photographs of part of his collection and some of his fabulous shadow-box pieces created with items from his collection. The enchanting illustrations by Gérard Dubois complete the story perfectly. The colors are lovely, and all the details shown are marvelous and will fascinate all.