An Extreme Makeover

By Staff -- School Library Journal, 9/1/2004

Students returning to the Ridge Wood Elementary School in Detroit this fall will enjoy a more imaginative library, thanks to four colorful, storybook-themed murals by local artist Gail Hatch. Characters depicted on the library walls include Peter Pan, Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat, and Captain Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels, as well as Disney images from The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo. Ridge Wood's PTA and a community organization helped raise money to purchase the art, which Hatch created for $2,000, half of her usual fee. "The school is new and the walls were beige and boring," says Hatch. "I can't wait for the kids to go back and see the difference."