A treasure.
One luminary of children’s literature pens a picture-book biography about another.
Once called “the Hans Christian Andersen of American children’s literature” by Newsweek magazine, Yolen honors that great Danish author of literary fairy tales. Contemporary readers may know only a handful of Andersen’s hundreds of stories—those about “an Ugly Duckling, the Snow Queen, a mermaid who loved a prince, a princess who could feel a pea under twenty mattresses”—but Yolen pays tribute to his legacy, which has unquestionably influenced her own career. As she references those enduring tales in the context of his greater body of work, Yolen sensitively recounts how Andersen’s story—“more like a fairy tale than a life”—was marked by hardship, ambition, creativity, and longing. The beauty of her writing astounds, perhaps especially at the breathtaking line that he “lived the single long sentence of his life till its end,” the double meaning of the word sentence searing in its poignancy. Throughout, Boynton-Hughes’ illustrations rise to meet Yolen’s achievement, with myriad references to Andersen’s stories embedded like easter eggs for readers to find in her detailed but never cluttered spreads. She especially excels at delineating real and imaginary vistas as she depicts Andersen’s life, his stories, and his memories and imaginings through layered, inviting compositions.
A treasure. (more about Andersen, further reading) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780823451036
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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