An encouraging testament to improvisation and persistence.
A Singaporean American musician with obsessive-compulsive disorder became the world’s first toy piano virtuoso.
Margaret’s OCD “never stopped talking,” and she obeyed its orders to straighten her hair bow and count the steps on staircases. Learning piano and counting beats helped her deal with her OCD, however, and Margaret became “UNSTOPPABLE.” At 16, she left Singapore to study piano at Juilliard in New York City; after graduating in 1971, she performed across America, Europe, and Asia. But her OCD remained an unbearably loud, constant presence, and she stopped playing. Fortunately, in 1981, avant-garde musician John Cage introduced her to alternative musical techniques; she “coaxed tunes from tuna cans” and “poured music out of teapots.” After playing a toy piano in Cage’s honor after his death in 1992, she continued performing on the instrument to great acclaim. In 2002, Margaret became the first Singaporean to play Carnegie Hall’s main stage; in 2015, she earned the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest artistic honor. In 2022, Margaret lost vision in one eye. But to this day, Margaret continues playing to rave reviews. Kuah’s cartoon illustrations vividly convey the emotional toll that OCD took on Margaret; a scene of Margaret screaming against a backdrop of cascading numerals is particularly moving. Though readers coping with OCD may desire more details about how Margaret managed her condition, Chow’s conversational text is uplifting. Backmatter includes further biographical information and QR codes linking to videos of Margaret’s performances.
An encouraging testament to improvisation and persistence. (discussion questions) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9789815084917
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
