A sophisticated look at painting, seen through the eyes of a renowned artist.
After a trip to Morocco, Henri Matisse (1869-1954) finds his despair lifting, and he begins to paint again.
The artist is in a deep funk. “Everything and everyone [feels] cloudy. Everything and everyone [feels] dark.” He travels to Tangier, searching for abundant sunlight, only to discover more rain; once more, he feels “cloudy and dark.” As the sun returns, Stringer’s black-and-white illustrations give way to the bold colors favored by Matisse, who finds inspiration in the old Medina, the city’s markets and gardens, and memories of his family’s colorful rugs and painted teacups. Stringer periodically repeats that Henri grew up in a “black and gray town” in France, which further heightens the moment when he experiences the “abundance of light” in Tangier that resurrects his desire to paint again. Buoyed by the sun, Henri paints views from his window and portraits of locals including a Rifi warrior (one of the Amazigh people who live in the Rif Mountains). A combination of pastel, charcoal, gouache, and digital media on watercolor paper, Stringer’s energetic illustrations convey her subject’s exuberance; her vivid spreads feature aspects of Moroccan culture such as babouches (pointed yellow slippers), haik (a traditional women’s garment), and ouds (a kind of musical instrument). The appended visual glossary will help readers home in on these details of Moroccan life.
A sophisticated look at painting, seen through the eyes of a renowned artist. (sources, further information about Matisse, archival photo, author’s note) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781534493629
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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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