Kid artists True tales of childhood from creative legends

Review by Booklist Review

In the same light tone as Kid Presidents (2014) and Kid Athletes (2015), Stabler and Horner present the childhoods of 16 famous artists. Divided into thematic sections, the chapters recount the early lives of creative kids who faced major obstacles (Jackson Pollock, Yoko Ono, Jean-Michel Basquiat), persevered with the encouragement of a mentor (Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence), or were inspired by nature (Vincent van Gogh, Beatrix Potter, Emily Carr). Stabler sidesteps many of the serious problems some of the artists faced to focus instead on the elements of their childhoods that inspired their later work, such as Andy Warhol's relationship with his mother, or Van Gogh's adolescent bug-collecting hobby. Since the focus of this collective biography is visual artists, it's disappointing that none of their works are pictured, though Horner's comical cartoon illustrations are a charming complement to Stabler's sometimes irreverent text. Though a factual error (to be corrected in reprint editions) is unfortunate, the impressively diverse selection of artists and inviting overall tone are redeeming.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Stabler recounts the early lives of more than a dozen artists including Andy Warhol, Beatrix Potter, Yoko Ono, Keith Haring, and Vincent van Gogh in this companion to Kid Presidents and Kid Athletes. Throughout, he draws loose connections between the subjects' childhood experiences, whether positive or negative, and their artistic development. Ted Geisel "warned about the dangers of discrimination" in books like The Sneetches in part because of anti-German prejudice he faced during WWII; Frida Kahlo's time spent recovering from illness and injury led her to begin creating self-portraits. Memorably weird childhood moments-Jackson Pollock accidentally had part of a finger chopped off and then eaten by a rooster-are likely to stick with readers, as will Horner's impish cartoons. Ages 9-12. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--7--Famous adults have one thing in common--they were all kids struggling with many of the same problems as kids today: bullying, poverty, racism, sickness, hunger, and fractured families. The "Kid Legends Series" provides very relatable childhood anecdotes on a diverse selection of now famous people. Each title in the series includes a few well-known and well-documented legends, yet many lesser known (though equally as deserving) people are also highlighted through concise, biographical snippets. Kid Artists covers Emily Carr, Louise Nevelson, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Frida Kahlo. Kid Authors includes Sherman Alexie, Zora Neale Hurston, Stan Lee, and Jules Verne. Kid Scientists covers, among others, Vera Rubin, Rachel Carson, Temple Grandin, and Rosalind Franklin, while Kid Activists covers Iqbal Masih, Harvey Milk, Dolores Huerta, and Emma Watson. The humorous illustrations in print editions are notably absent, but the superb narration of Pete Cross secures readers attention in a learning-but-don't-know-it kind of way. VERDICT Each well-written title in the "Kid Legends Series" is authentic in its vision of inspiring young readers to not only shoot for the stars but to dream big and lasso a whole galaxy.--Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Sch. Dist., OH

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

Anecdotal accounts of seventeen famous artists' early childhood experiences, many of which will be familiar to present-day kids, demonstrate that fame didn't come in a day. Stories are grouped together thematically, into sections focusing on poverty, unpopularity, the need for persistence, and the role of the natural world. Comics-style drawings throughout add humorous touches to the breezy narratives. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

For budding artists, here's a heartening reminder that 17 unconventional greatsnot to mention all the reststarted out as children too.The pseudonymous Stabler (Robert Schnakenberg in real life) adopts a liberal admissions policy for his latest gathering of anecdotal profiles (Kid Presidents, 2014, etc.). In a chapter on the influence of nature and wildlife on early artistic visions, Leonardo da Vinci and the young Vincent van Gogh rub shoulders with Beatrix Potter and Emily Carr; in another focusing on overcoming shyness or other personal, social, or economic obstacles, Jackson Pollock hangs out with Charles Schulz, Yoko Ono, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In a third chapter that highlights the importance of a supportive parent, teacher, or other cheerleader, fathers do for prodigious young Pablo Picasso and polio-stricken Frida Kahlo, his mother for Andy Warhol, art instructors for Jacob Lawrence and Keith Haring. The author owns an easy, readable style, and though he leaves out quite a lotDiego Rivera goes unmentioned in the Kahlo entry, nor do van Gogh's suicide, Basquiat's heroin addiction, or anyone's sexual orientation come uphe's chosen his subjects with an eye toward diversity of background, upbringing, and, eventually, style and media. Horner lightens the overall tone further with cartoon vignettes of caricatured but recognizable figures.Noncanonical entries make this a natural companion or follow-up for Kathleen Krull's essential Lives of the Artists, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (1995). (bibliography) (Collective biography. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Charles Schulz: The Shy Guy Long before he created Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang, Charles "Sparky" Schulz was just a quiet kid with a sketchpad who felt uncomfortable sharing his drawings with others. Only by overcoming his shyness could he make the leap from secret doodler to superstar cartoonist.      Charles Schulz's father, Carl, loved comics. In the 1930s he owned a thriving three-chair barbershop in St. Paul, Minnesota. Every Sunday, Carl would buy four newspapers just so he could follow the adventures of Buck Rogers, Little Orphan Annie, and other cartoon characters who populated the "funny pages."      Charles, Carl's only child, came to share his father's passion for the newspaper comic strips. As a young boy, Charles was called "Sparky," named after a rickety racehorse in the comic strip "Barney Google." On weekdays, Sparky helped his dad in the barbershop. On weekends, he would head over to the office of the town newspaper. He'd press his nose against the glass windows and watch the weekly funnies roll off the presses.      Sparky soon learned that he could do more than just read the comics. He could draw them. At the end of a long day spent cutting and sweeping hair, Sparky and his father rode home together on the streetcar. On cold winter evenings--and Minnesota had many of those-- Sparky would sketch scenes from their day, using his finger to draw in the steam-fogged window.      Sensing that their son had a knack for illustration, Sparky's parents gave him a small chalkboard to carry around. Sparky spent hours drawing pictures onto its dark surface. When he grew older, he moved on to sketchpads. He always kept a sharpened pencil in his pocket, in case the urge to doodle should strike. On more than one occasion, the pencil point poked a hole in his trousers.      At first, Sparky kept his drawings private. He was shy and didn't like to call attention to himself. At family gatherings, he sat alone with his face buried in his sketchpad. He rarely joined in conversations with his relatives, but sometimes an aunt or uncle would ask what he was drawing. "Let him alone!" Sparky's mother would admonish them.      One time, Sparky's parents took him to visit his Aunt Clara in the Wisconsin countryside. Clara's son Reuben also liked to draw. In fact, Reuben impressed the adults with his drawing of a man sitting on a log. Sparky took one look at his cousin's sketch and thought, "I could do better than that!"      When Sparky was in kindergarten, his teacher handed out crayons and asked the class to draw something they had seen. Inspired by the harsh Minnesota winter, Sparky drew a man shoveling snow. Then he added his own flourish: a leafy palm, a tree he had learned about from his Uncle Monroe, who lived in California. A less open-minded teacher might have criticized Sparky for letting his imagination run wild. Instead she praised his originality, saying, "Charles, you're going to be an artist someday!" After receiving such praise and encouragement, Sparky was a little less reluctant to share his art with other people.      Then one day, Sparky's friend Raymond showed off the cover of his looseleaf binder. On it he had drawn a man riding a bucking bronco. Sparky had never thought to display his drawings like that. Soon his own binder was festooned with sketches of cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Popeye. When his classmates noticed, they asked him to decorate their notebooks as well. Sparky was elated.      A newly confident Sparky began to excel at school. His grades soared, and he was allowed to skip the fourth grade. That seemed like a good idea at first, but it wound up being a terrible setback on the road to overcoming his shyness.      That's because Sparky was now the smallest kid in his class. He longed to be selected for the school Safety Patrol, but was turned down because he was too short. Not only that, but the older kids weren't as impressed by his artwork as his younger classmates had been. When he was singled out for an award in penmanship, he could hear the other students snickering behind his back as he got up from his desk to receive his pin and certificate.      Once again, Sparky retreated into his bashful shell. He rarely spoke in class and tried to hide his drawing ability. His grades began to suffer, and he was forced to repeat the eighth grade.      In junior high, Sparky even lost confidence in the one thing he knew he was good at. When assigned to write about William Shakespeare for English class, he came up with the idea to illustrate the paper with his own drawings. But then he decided against it. To his dismay, another boy followed through on a similar project and received high praise.      But inspiration was not far away. It took the form of a mischievous black-and-white beagle who convinced Sparky to believe in himself again. No, not Snoopy, although Sparky would one day base his famous creation on his childhood pet. This dog was called Spike. And he was known to eat anything he could get his paws on.      Spike once scarfed down an entire rubber ball. Another time, he jumped onto Carl Schulz's dresser and gobbled up a wad of money from the barbershop. The pooch appeared to be indestructible--no matter what Spike ate, it just seemed to pass right through without causing him any problems.      One winter night, when Sparky was fourteen, he decided to use Spike's misbehavior as the inspiration for a cartoon. He drew a picture of the gluttonous beagle sitting up and added the caption: "A hunting dog that eats pins, tacks, and razor blades is owned by C. F. Schulz, St. Paul, Minn." He signed his cartoon "Drawn by 'Sparky.'" Then he did something unusual for such a shy boy. Instead of hiding the drawing in his sketchbook, he sent it to the editors of the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" comic strip. To Sparky's surprise, they agreed to publish it. On February 22, 1937, Sparky's drawing appeared in more than 300 newspapers worldwide.      Sparky was immensely proud of his achievement. Although he remained shy and suffered many setbacks as an artist--including when his high school yearbook committee rejected his drawings--he never again lost faith in his artistic abilities. And eventually others saw his skill, too. As a young man, he applied for a place in a correspondence course at the Federal School of Applied Cartooning in Minneapolis. His work was so good that the school offered him a position as an instructor.      The job was perfect for Sparky. The quiet introvert who had disliked showing his art to others was now encouraging students to share their illustrations with him. Even better, Sparky had more time to work on his cartoons, including one about a group of kids and a pet dog. His creation--"Peanuts"--became the world's most popular comic strip. Its main character, Charlie Brown, was just like Sparky: a boy filled with self-doubt who takes inspiration from his brash, mischievous beagle.      Charlie Brown may never have received the recognition he deserved, but Charles Schulz certainly did. He was rewarded with the admiration of millions of comics fans worldwide. Excerpted from Kid Artists by David Stabler, Doogie Horner All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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