Review by Booklist Review
With the proliferation of cameras in today's world, it's interesting to consider a time when street photography was not yet commonplace. Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham was at the helm of this practice, not only by capturing the unique styles of New Yorkers from his favorite street corner, but also by turning it into an art form. He inconspicuously sought out those who dressed boldly and creatively, whether these individuals were at fashion shows or simply hailing a cab. D'yans' splotchy watercolors are as vibrant and daring as Cunningham's subjects. Skirts swish down catwalks, and a woman in an orchidlike dress sashays down the boulevard beside someone in an outrageous leopard-fur coat all fodder for the blue-jacketed photographer pedaling through the city on his trusty bike. Blumenthal aptly comments that pictures were his words, fashion his language, and readers will see the truth of this by the book's end. Awarded France's Legion of Honor among other accolades, Cunningham remained humble and perpetually joyful in his work. This effervescent account of his career will get readers' creative juices bubbling.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In keeping with Bill Cunningham's singular fascination with the visual splendor of fashion, Blumenthal and D'yans offer a close-up on the photographer's creative pursuits. With dynamic processions of swooshing colors, patterns, and fabrics, D'yans vividly conveys how Cunningham viewed New York City fashion through his eyes and lens. One figure wears a trailing cloak that features an inky landscape; elsewhere, moths and dragonflies emerge from a woman's gown. Cunningham is portrayed as an impassioned observer who captured the beauty of his subjects in unguarded moments on the street, or from the handlebars of his beloved bicycle. Blumenthal peppers her prose with quotations from Cunningham that speak to his devotion to his art and his celebration of clothing as a true expression of human individuality. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Pictures were his words, fashion his language." Blumenthal's quote-filled tribute to New York Times street-fashion photographer Bill Cunningham focuses on his approach. D'yans's vibrant watercolors catwalk across each page, emphasizing the patterns, palettes, and shapes of the clothing that so enamored Cunningham; the man himself is fittingly pictured where he most liked to be: behind the camera. An author's note provides more straightforward biographical information. Bib. (c) Copyright 2019. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A picture-book tribute to fashion photographer Bill Cunningham.From fashion and beauty journalist and children's author Blumenthal comes a touching tale of one of New York's most beloved and slightly eccentric fashion icons. With his signature "blue French worker's jacket, tan pants, and black sneakers" and a camera "slung around his neck," for decades Cunningham cycled the streets of Manhattan, seeking both the figures who made fashion and those who consumed and put it proudly on display each day. "He who seeks beauty will find it," said Cunningham, the humble hat maker-turned-photojournalist who single-handedly created the genre of street-fashion photography, presenting the images of regular people and models together in his New York Times photo column "like squares on a story quilt." D'yans' scintillating watercolors, depicting Bill in action on the street or his subjects who "looked like leopards in their leopard prints, dudes in dots and spots," perfectly match Cunningham's unassuming edginess with their ragged splashes of brilliant color and deft smear technique that creates a three-dimensional illusion of motion. Seasoning her spare text just so with Cunningham's own voice (sourced in notes), Blumenthal effectively communicates her admiration for her subject.Beautifully rendered and told, the book brings to life the work of a gifted 20th-century artist whose creative vision will always be in vogue. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
