An Almanac of birds by Maria Popova

Or 100 Divinations for Uncertain Days, depend what you prefer 🙂 Maria Popova had became one of my favourite artists 10 years ago, when I first discover her art. It inspired me to pursue my dreams and to write about beautiful stories and even to found an online books & art gallery for children. I feel like everything she does in art is enlighting and magical. So this collection of illustrated poems could not be any less. Is a beautiful gift for a rainy day, with a cup of tea in your hands. Or for a dear friend that enjoys art and beautiful things in his life. And maybe for your children if they want to discover more about life and nature and birds. Printed on the glorious ilustrations made by John James Audubon and by naturalists Elizabeth and John Gould the divinations were at first a way of bringing together the beauty of this world. First forty of them, than adding up until 100. So if you are looking for an art treat , be sure to know that you found it.

Enjoy!

The Universe in Verse

15 Portals to wonder through science&poetry

By Maria Popova, illustrated by Ofra Amit

Maria Popova is an artist that has chosen to share her light and her talent on all of us willing to wonder to the beauty of the world.

Her project The Marginalian is a monography of what is real important and has meaning in literature. Her work on all the presentations and reviews is huge and of a great quality and realism.

Her latest work is a printed book. “The Universe in Verse” started in 2017 as a gathering of people interested in poetry, stories, a festival of wonder as the author herself name it.

Now we have this gorgeous book to comfort our need to know and to feel the beauty and the reality, what is inside of us and what lays there, all the way to the horizon and beyond.

The snail with the right heart

de Maria Popova, ilustratii de PingZhu

Imi doream de mult ultima aparitie a Mariei Popova, dar cumva recenziile de pe Amazon si Goodreads au intarziat achizitia ei.

Am gasit-o saptamana trecuta pe un site online de la noi si am luat-o. O puteti comanda insa si de pe Amazon.

Nu am gasit nimic “scandalos” sau daunator evolutiei copilului meu printre paginile ei. Dar probabil asta este o chestiune subiectiva. Este multa stiinta, dar si multa poezie si delicatete; insa nimic fortat. Unele specii de melci sunt hermafrodite. Si da, melcii fac si ei copii ca mai toate celelalte specii, prin imperechere. Dar deoarece am citit peripetiile lui Pispirel pe cand copilul avea 3 ani, acum la 7 ani am considerat potrivit, dupa ce am citit eu inainte cartea, sa o citesc fiicei mele cand a vazut-o si si-a dorit asta. S-a mirat sa auda cuvantul hermafrodit, i-am explicat si eu si tatal ei ca asa sunt unele specii si ca este o forma de adaptare si supravietuire. I-am explicat putin si despre gene si cum anumite gesturi si trasaturi ale bunicilor ei le are si ea si noi nu.
Un subiect de mirare si dezbatere a fost “the right heart”: “Cum mami, eu cand stau cu capul aici nu iti mai aud inima batand in stanga? Nu cred ca sunt oameni cu inima in dreapta”

Ca o concluzie, ma bucur ca am trecut peste parerile unor necunoscuti in fond si am luat cartea. Este o opera de arta. Si desi are la baza povestea specifica a cuiva din familia autoarei este in acelasi timp si o poveste universala. In care diversitatea face parte din lumea noastra, acceptarea celor diferiti de noi si empatia fata de drumul lor este o aspiratie, nu sursa de frica si teama. Este o carte menita sa apropie comunitati si sa ajute acceptarea si integrarea “diferitului”, nu doar fuga de el.