January 10, 2024
Précis
The major purpose of a précis is to present faithfully, as briefly and clearly as possible, the important ideas of a reading selection that is being ‘cut down.’ To ascertain those central important ideas, the writer of a précis has to read carefully, analytically, and reflectively.
In my work with students of any age, when research is needed, I recommend selecting a children’s picture book on the topic as the starting point. Children’s picture books, for reasons related to how a standard book printer operates, are typically 32 pages long. Those pages include end pages, title page, dedication page, and many illustrations. Therefore, the text is limited. Authors who write for children take painstaking care to do the analytical, reflective work required to allow their young readers to access pertinent information efficiently in language that is highly accessible.
Please note: the care that goes into writing a children’s picture book—which is in essence a précis, often of huge topics—makes a great starting point for a person of any age embarking on research.
All of which is a long way of saying (no précis, this!) that I am currently fascinated by Matisse’s paper cut-outs collages, and I want to know more so I’m rereading Patricia MacLachlan’s The Iridescence of Birds, a book about young Henri that I own, and I’ve put holds on eight(!) other picture books through my library.
Mini-Matisse #4:
~2 x 2″; paper cut-outs and ink on art journal page
collage
2024
[those of you with x-ray vision might discern
the white-on-white background journaling here]
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