A radiant love letter to a treasured artist—and to a long-gone way of life.
An adoring, wistful diaspora remembers the single-named Iranian singer Googoosh.
Collages of painted cut paper create funky and nostalgic visions of pre-1979 Iran as Googoosh first takes the stage at age 2 with her acrobat father. The young performer appears surrounded by textured rose petals, resplendent in pomegranate red. As other children play and go to school, her star rises, capturing the heart of a nation with her resonant voice: “Like the snowcapped peaks of the Alborz Mountains, / you were everywhere we turned.” Westergaard lovingly brings to life this childhood narrative of Iran, relying on a warm palette and layered paper shapes and melodic text that praises the deliciousness of “warm babari bread” and “salted boiled beets.” Two stark full-spread illustrations nearly sapped of color depict the moment everything changed, with a man holding up a sign in front of a vast crowd that reads “انقلاب” (“inqilāb,” or “revolution” in Farsi)—and then an empty stage with dark curtains closed. “The sound of a woman’s singing voice— / outlawed.” Many people, including Googoosh’s fans, leave the country, “scattering across the world / like wild, windblown poppies.” Even while acknowledging great sadness, however, the story exudes joy in the way displaced Iranians preserve their memories and culture. More than just a loving tribute to one particular singer, this is a rich concoction of immigrant yearning.
A radiant love letter to a treasured artist—and to a long-gone way of life. (author’s note, more about Googoosh, sources, photograph) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780593114636
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
BOOK REVIEW
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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