This sanitized treatment does a disservice to both subject and readers.
Artist Keith Haring draws and draws, from childhood to adulthood.
“There was a boy named Keith,” opens the text, showing him drawn with an orange outline, crawling, surrounded by the gleam lines that Haring later used around his famous Radiant Baby. As Haring grows to adulthood and renown, drawing constantly, Neubecker neatly incorporates Haring’s real pieces into these zesty, bustling, digital-and-pencil illustrations. From subway-station drawings chalked on black paper to acrylic paintings to murals, Haring’s work pops; Neubecker’s compositions and enthusiastic crowd scenes do it wonderful credit. The textual refrain (subtly offset in its own typeface) is that Haring never stops drawing—a passable theme, barely, but one that glaringly spotlights the themes that are missing. In a stunning erasure, author Haring (Keith’s sister) includes only non–AIDS-related art, activism, and philanthropy. Haring’s famous Silence=Death pieces (pink triangles crowded with bodies) and his absolutely iconic “Ignorance=Fear” poster—both of which complemented the work of pivotal AIDS activist group ACT UP—are nowhere to be found. The foundation he created to benefit underserved youth and AIDS organizations gets no mention until the second of two backmatter notes. Very young readers are better served by any of several available Keith Haring coloring books or board books; older readers deserve to know all his vital artistic, activist, and philanthropic achievements, including the ones related to AIDS.
This sanitized treatment does a disservice to both subject and readers. (author’s note, index of art works) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-525-42819-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
A humorous tribute to the zany, determined and innovative side of invention.
Young Virena, one of four children, provides inspiration for her aspiring inventor papa’s latest ambitious construction: a submarine.
Fleming bases her tale on the true story of Civil War–era inventor Lodner Phillips, who tried his hand at submarine design on the shores of Lake Michigan. In Fleming’s lively, enthusiastic account, Papa builds three increasingly large and more complicated underwater vehicles, each of which sinks, with Papa emerging cheerfully, if damply, ready for the next round. As Virena muses on the nature of marine life, providing Papa with ideas for improvements, the baby interjects disarmingly funny comments: “No pee pee!” chortles the baby when Virena asks how fish stay dry. The Whitefish IV has room for everyone, and Papa puts his entire family into the contraption—somehow the cheerful presentation keeps readers from worrying about the outcome. Kulikov’s expansive, comical illustrations offer exaggerated perspectives from above and below the deep blue-green water, huge and beautiful fish just under the surface and a loving family for the determined inventor. Blueprints for each version of the mechanical fish are included—a neat glimpse into the invention process—while the peculiarly human expressions on the family bulldog remind readers that this is a fantasy. An author’s note and an extensive list of adult resources give background information about the real Lodner Phillips.
A humorous tribute to the zany, determined and innovative side of invention. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-374-39908-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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