An inconsistently paced biography that may still enlighten and inspire young lovers of public art.
Pattison pays tribute to famed sculptor Nancy Schön in this picture book.
The book opens with a brief memory of Nancy Schön’s introduction to sculpture at a Halloween party (via a chewing gum-sculpting competition). At a local park, the now grown-up Nancy observes a succession of children touching a beloved bronze statue of a woman cuddling a cat, which sparks her to create something of her own: nine sculpted ducks (“Right then, I saw what I wanted for my art. I wanted my sculptures to be outdoors in parks, where people of all ages could touch and enjoy them”). She becomes temporarily discouraged with her design (“Would she ever get the ducklings right?”), but, with the help of a friend, Nancy is able to finish the ducks and install them at Boston’s Public Garden. Pattison’s account of Schön’s life skips over her early years so quickly that it may leave readers curious about her education in art (her pacing settles down when she arrives at Schön’s creation of the ducklings). Davis’ illustrations are reminiscent of the statues themselves: bold, with rounded edges and a fullness of life that he captures with rich colors and an absence of outlines. The inclusion of Schön’s other artwork rounds out the artist’s legacy as a versatile sculptor.
An inconsistently paced biography that may still enlighten and inspire young lovers of public art.Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781629442365
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mims House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 6, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes.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
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
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