Drawing from the city

Gr 3-8-Presented in an elongated, oversize format, this intriguing book follows the life of Teju Behan, who grew up in a poor family of a lower caste in rural India. When a drought forced the family to the city, Teju married Ganesh Jogi, who supported his family by singing in the streets. But just as that street singing tradition was dying out, Ganesh met an artist who encouraged him to draw. Ganesh proved to be talented and encouraged his wife to try her hand at it. Teju did, and it was as if she has been freed from all the constraints of her life. Her art allowed her to be whomever she wanted, to travel wherever she wished, and to lose herself endlessly in her vivid imagination. This story documents her life both before and after she discovered her talent and serves as an inspiration to women everywhere. Her beautiful ink drawings rely on the use of dots and lines and are remarkably full of movement and life. The text is printed in brown to offset the black of the inked drawings. This is a wonderful book for art students or for those interested in exploring other cultures through art.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Art and design take center stage in this carefully crafted, elegant, artisanal book. This stunning autobiographical art book recounts self-taught artist Tejubehan's journey from an impoverished childhood in rural India, through her family's efforts to improve their lot in a tent city in Mumbai, and into her adulthood, when she lived as a singer and artist with her husband. The direct, unadorned text has an immediacy that reveals its roots as an orally narrated life story, which was then recorded in Tamil and translated into English. Handscreen-printed illustrations comprised of intricate linework and patterns of dots underscore elements of the text without being strictly tied to delivering straightforward narrative. In this way, the book emerges more as an illustrated memoir than it does a traditional picture book with interdependent art and text. As a physical artifact, it draws attention to its creation with stiff pages and fragrant, tactile inks. The illustrations themselves are black and white, while the text is set in a sans-serif typeface in colors that change subtly from spread to spread. A unique offering that presents readers with arresting artwork and a compelling life story. (Art book. 8-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.