The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius

good brief introduction to Ohr

Delightful book; great illustrations and photos. Story is interesting and filled with historical, geographical, and Americana art history. Easily read and understood - not so technical as to be limited in appeal. This guy was eccentric and its nice to read that his art is appreciated and valued - as he predicted.

I liked this book very much, it was brief and well-illustrated and gave a good background on Ohr. Anyone interested in ceramics and history, would find it very fascinating, I think!!

An eccentric man with a wonderful story about making art out of the modest material of clay! Great read for the whole family! And the pictures are wonderful- an unknown piece of American cultural!

This book seems to capture the essence of what George Ohr was about, more fox than lunatic; a showman publicist and cynic. The photos are spectacular and are alone worth the price many times over

great book in very good condition

the best book

Read this aloud to my fifth grade daughter and we both enjoyed it thoroughly. I don’t usually review biographies, but this title is a Sibert Honor Book this year and I was curious. The authors tell the story of the life of George Ohr (born in 1857) – who was definitely eccentric. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life and he didn’t fit into the mainstream society. Then discovered a passion for pottery. What’s beautiful is how the authors detail Ohr’s sustained focus on developing his skill at pottery – he was an assistant to another potter, he went to fairs, he traveled across the states studying different potters’ work and trying his hand at pottery. Ultimately his pottery was distinct – and became a tourist attraction in Biloxi where he established a studio. There’s room for discussions with students about the concept of “one’s identity” and “sense of agency” (a sense of “I can do this”) as themes in this book. When a change in technology allowed pottery to be mass produced, Ohr refused to join the fray and continued creating unique pieces. Decades later (1968) Ohr’s work was re-discovered, dusty, piled high in old cartons in a broken down shed. As Ohr predicted (despite his community’s doubts), his work has become priceless and is now displayed in museums.I would read this aloud to 3rd-5th grade students (over a few days). After reading a chapter or two, you might model (gradually releasing the writing to the students) responding to a prompt like the following:How does George Ohr develop his identity as a potter?orWhat did George Ohr do to develop his skills as a potter? Why is this important to consider?orHow was George Ohr eccentric? (Define eccentric in student-friendly terms like “tending to act in strange or unusual ways.”)If you want students to develop a stronger sense of Ohr’s disposition, you might engage students in a close reading of pages 38-39.