FROM THE TELLURIDE WATCH –

The Schilling Studio Gallery teams up with Wilkinson Public Library Saturday, Oct. 10, for an art opening/special story time with artist Todd Parr, the noted children’s book author who is also known as the King of Color.

Parr writes books that have helped children worldwide to accept what they cannot change. A few of his classics – It's Okay to Be Different, The Mommy Book, The Daddy Book and The Feelings Book – have helped children put their lives in perspective, thanks to what Parr himself has learned his lifelong pursuit of art in the face of a world of indifference. Today, Parr’s body of work includes 17 children’s books and countless artwork and designs readily found in galleries, on toys, furniture and many other products.

Parr offers reassuring messages to children, from his own life experiences, aimed at building self-confidence
and equipped to overcome difficulties, in part with his simple message that each person is unique, and we should take pride in our differences, using bright colors and simple texts just hilarious enough to capture young readers’ and viewers’ attention.

Parr hosts a Special Children’s Story Time at Wilkinson Library Saturday, Oct. 10, at 12:30 p.m., and speaks again that at Schilling Studio Gallery, at 6 p.m., with a special artist-in-attendance show of his work, 5-7 p.m.

Asked if he has a message for children, he said, yes: “Do wear clean underwear,” he advises, but “don’t wear them on your head!