The Wire Zoo: How Elizabeth Berrien Learned to Turn Wire into Amazing Art

Wing highlights the importance of perseverance for sculptor Elizabeth Berrien (b. 1950), “the Godmother of Wire,” in this extended biography. An early connection with animals leads Berrien to art as an expressive medium (“Her mind imagined lines flowing across the surface of their bodies”), but methods such as drawing soon prove frustrating for the left-handed artist, who is forced to work right-handed. After an open-minded teacher introduces her to wire, “she’d found the thing that expressed the beauty she’d seen all her life.” Using the new material for sculptures becomes her passion, culminating in the creation of magnificent life-size horses for a store window and a zoo appointment as artist-in-residence. Stone’s smooth, realistic digital renderings showcase the protagonist’s inquisitive nature, while flowing fine lines visualize her preferred material. The in-depth presentation of Berrien’s highs and lows underscores the way that making can take a meandering path. Secondary characters are depicted with various skin tones. Back matter offers more about the figure. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)