Review by Booklist Review
This lively picture-book biography of artist Georgia O'Keeffe begins with her happy childhood on a Wisconsin dairy farm and traces her education as an artist, the evolution of her painting style, and her discovery of the New Mexico landscape that became increasingly inspirational and iconic in her paintings. The text is concise, well organized, and informative. By discussing O'Keeffe's vivid, colorful recollections of scenes from her childhood, an early art teacher who taught her to look closely at her subject before drawing, and a college professor who emphasized the artist's license to interpret what she saw instead of simply reproducing it, Balkan gives weight and meaning to the name of the What the Artist Saw series (2 titles). Attractive full-color illustrations capture the look of different eras as well as the artist's developing style. Small reproductions of O'Keeffe's paintings are appended. Written in cursive, occasional prompts ("Look up at the sky. Try painting the weather") encourage readers to try activities related to the text. A brief, insightful introduction to the artist's life and work.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--This installment in the series shines. This volume spans artist Georgia O'Keeffe's 98 years of life, from childhood to death. As with the other entries, this title also provides suggestions for ways that readers might experiment with some of O'Keeffe's art technique or perspectives, such as, "Try zooming in on a small detail and drawing it really large!" Balkan deftly explains transition from realism to a more abstract perspective on the world. The book includes many other elements that, combined with Bloggs's lively, colorful folk art style, make for a visually pleasing presentation. Some of these include a reproduction of 13 of O'Keeffe's paintings in a time line format from 1915--1940, a glossary of art terms, and a clearly written, interesting account of the artist's life that also shows an obvious respect for the artist's self-assuredness, independence, and self-expression. VERDICT Purchase to complement art history units and for biography shelves.--Maggie Chase, Boise State Univ., ID
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