EZRA JACK KEATS

Based on "conversations with him and on autobiographical essays," Engel and Freedman reconstruct the key scenes of Jack Ezra Katz's childhood and adult years, from his first inking of a tabletop through his discovery of news clippings about his art in his deceased father's wallet, to his success selling art in Paris, to his joyful creation of children's books. The full-color paintings include details from his books, paintings made when he was a child, self-portraits and others, all admirably linked to the text, as if he were illustrating his life story from the moment he first picked up a tool—perhaps that's what real artists do. With visuals as original and euphoric as the day they were created, and a narrative that is poignant but never pitying, straightforward without being dry, this is a grand work, for all collections. (Nonfiction/biography. 8-12)