An uplifting look at the influences and inspirations that fueled an artist, and the legacy he left behind.
Waldrop offers an illustrated story for children about the life of Harlem Renaissance artist Ellis Wilson (1899-1977).
As the story opens, Wilson is a young boy growing up in rural Kentucky who has dreams of being a painter (“At a time when most folks saw the world as black or white, young Ellis Wilson watched colors dance across canvas”). Inspired by his father’s painting hobby, Ellis decides he wants to become an artist. He sketches constantly, whether it’s at the barbershop where his dad works or while listening to his mother sing with the local church. Despite being told by everyone around him that there’s no way to make a living by painting, Ellis continues to practice. When it comes time to apply to art schools, the young man faces rejection after rejection, due to his skin color, but finally catches a break when a Chicago art school (revealed to be the Art Institute of Chicago in an author’s note) accepts him. After learning everything he can in that city, Ellis eventually makes a home in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, where he works odd jobs to make ends meet while painting the everyday scenes he sees. Ellis’ work begins to catch the attention of the art community, where he gains recognition and acclaim. His skilled portrayals of working people strike chords with many people to this day. Waldrop’s biographical work might have been strengthened by the inclusion of specific facts in the main text, instead of at the very end—such as when, exactly, Wilson was born. However, this engaging true story is still likely to appeal to creative children. Artist and Tennessee State University professor McBride’s painterly, color illustrations use bold, broad strokes that will help readers to visually experience the power of Ellis’ life and work. The book’s backmatter includes more detailed biographical and professional information about Wilson, as well as author and illustrator bios.
An uplifting look at the influences and inspirations that fueled an artist, and the legacy he left behind.Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 9781945049347
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Shadelandhouse Modern Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy.
Through the author’s own childhood diary entries, a seventh grader details her inner life before and after 9/11.
Alyssa’s diary entries start in September 2000, in the first week of her seventh grade year. She’s 11 and dealing with typical preteen concerns—popularity and anxiety about grades—along with other things more particular to her own life. She’s shuffling between Queens and Manhattan to share time between her divorced parents and struggling with thick facial hair and classmates who make her feel like she’s “not a whole person” due to her mixed White and Puerto Rican heritage. Alyssa is endlessly earnest and awkward as she works up the courage to talk to her crush, Alejandro; gushes about her dreams of becoming a shoe designer; and tries to solve her burgeoning unibrow problem. The diaries also have a darker side, as a sense of impending doom builds as the entries approach 9/11, especially because Alyssa’s father works in finance in the World Trade Center. As a number of the diary entries are taken directly from the author’s originals, they effortlessly capture the loud, confusing feelings middle school brings out. The artwork, in its muted but effective periwinkle tones, lends a satisfying layer to the diary’s accessible and delightful format.
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-77427-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
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