Learning English with the News: “Baby Art”

Hello everyone!

For centuries, human beings have been using whatever they can find to make art. But have you ever heard of a mother using her child to make art?

1. Read the text
2. Understand the vocabulary
3. Watch the video

Text

When the sun goes down and all go to bed a Tokyo mother gets ready for work.

After making sure her daughter Nuno is sound asleep, Mami Koide gets creative around her toddler using the floor as her canvas.

Everyday items such as clothes, socks and even vegetables turn into fantastic scenery with Nuno as the center star. Koide says the resulting image mirrors her daughter’s dreams. She sent her first picture to her bartender husband who is away from home during the night. This late night ritual continued and Koide produced many photographs.

She recently published a limited edition book that became an instant hit on Amazon Japan, prompting her publisher to print more copies. But despite the success Koide is worried about one thing – will Nuno approve of her work?

– I’m still not confident whether she will be happy and satisfied with what I’m doing without her permission while she is sleeping.

For now Nuno seems to be happy in the land of dreams where she is perhaps playing in a field with horses and cats.

Vocabulary

Make sure – not having any doubt about something: convinced or certain.

Sound asleep – deep and restful.

Toddler – a young child who is just learning to walk.

Canvas – a specially prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted by an artist.

Mirrors – to be very similar to (something).

Hit -something that is very successful.

Prompting – to cause (someone) to do something.

Video