Jen Bryant

This is the kind of book I would've loved as a kid. Heck, it's the kind of book I love now. There are so many details to examine and it's such an intriguingly spare telling of a man's life and work. It makes me want to know more about Roget. It makes me want to go read the thesaurus! Once again, brilliantly done by the dynamic duo Bryant and Sweet. I was also a big fan of last year's [b:A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin|13642600|A Splash of Red The Life and Art of Horace Pippin|Jennifer Fisher Bryant|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344370650s/13642600.jpg|19257840] and here they've done and equally remarkable job. Bravo! Hooray! Encore!… (altro)

Though no one would call their lives similar, this book immediately reminded me of how I felt after reading [b:Chuck Close Face Book|12789446|Chuck Close Face Book|Chuck Close|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344668015s/12789446.jpg|17937230]. I was struck by the fact that both artists overcame serious physical disabilities in order to paint. Chuck Close was already an established artist when he had a seizure and was confined to a wheelchair. But after "the event" (as he calls it) he made up new ways to paint that are arguably better and more innovative than before. It's similarly amazing that Horace Pippin created his best work after he was shot in the arm and lost the use of it. He still painted with his right hand, but guided it with his left. They say artists must struggle--that struggle creates fodder for art. And Pippin's life is a testament to that.

This book stands as a shining example of how a picture book illustrator can lovingly pay tribute to an artist. This is both kid-friendly and masterly work. I had a bit of a quibble with another picture book about a famous artist, [b:Georgia in Hawaii|11523324|Georgia in Hawaii When Georgia O'Keeffe Painted What She Pleased|Amy Novesky|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328834388s/11523324.jpg|16460617] because, though it was beautiful, it never really showed O'Keefe's work. A Splash of Red doesn't have that problem. There are lots of little examples of Pippin's work throughout.… (altro)