A reverent, felicitous, and accessible introduction to one of the world’s most subversive artists.
An Italian author/illustrator pays homage to Banksy, the world-famous, anonymous street artist.
Readers see Banksy on the book’s first spread, saying in a plainspoken, first-person narration, “Nobody knows who I really am, and that way, I stay out of trouble.” All humans in the book, including Banksy, are depicted in an offbeat, stylized cartoon manner, with stick arms and legs and oversized, bulging eyes; they are all black forms with paper-white faces on uncluttered, solid white backgrounds. Banksy hides in hooded black clothing, only eyes and a nose showing, describing artistic themes (anti-war, political, environmental); media (spray paint and stencils, sculpture); style (graffiti); and subjects (rats, soldiers, the Mona Lisa). Banksy also tells readers about various exhibitions and artistic projects—including the more-well-known ones (the painting that self-destructed in a shredder after purchase); the lesser-known ones (filling a meat truck with stuffed animals); and the exceptionally elaborate ones (Dismaland)—and theories about who Banksy is. (“There are lots of different theories. Some of them…pretty wild!”) Banksy speaks with a wry sense of humor and, just as the title indicates, without apology (“I do it without permission and I’m not sorry”), also emphasizing that art should be for everyone, not just the rich: “I don’t really like selling my work for lots of money.” Appended is more information about Banksy and a reproduction of Girl With Balloon. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.46-by-16.92-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
A reverent, felicitous, and accessible introduction to one of the world’s most subversive artists. (Informational picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: April 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-83866-260-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era.
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old’s perspective.
Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009’s Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. “I didn’t find out what being ‘the first’ really meant until the day I arrived at this new school,” she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of “screaming white people” that greets her at the school’s door (she thinks it’s like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith’s illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates (“School is just school,” she sensibly concludes, “and kids are just kids”) and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75388-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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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