First Painter by Kathryn Lasky

I thought this was an excellent and very enjoyable picture book, especially for older readers. It is extremely original and unique, and I was immediately drawn to both the story and the illustrations. The main character is a girl named Mishoo, and the story is set in prehistoric times. Eventually, Mishoo becomes the first painter ever, and the story chronicles how this comes to be. It is worth noting that the book has lots of text and some mature themes such as death and starvation, so I wouldn't reccommend the book to very young readers. Mishoo's people are starving and dying because of an intense drought, and as the dream catcher it is her responsibility to bring rain to her people. The illustrations are wonderful and very reminiscent of cave drawings, which works extremely well to accompany the story. In the end, there is a positive and uplifting end to the story and I really enjoyed the book as a whole.