Review by Booklist Review
ldquo;No!" an old man yells into the phone when asked to represent America in an art exhibition. Readers learn that this sculptor, Isamu Noguchi, was American and Japanese, yet he was rejected by both countries. As a result, "Isamu felt like a snail and called himself one." In this sophisticated picture-book biography, Hughes combines contrasts (yes/no, in/out, American/Japanese) in spare text and soft, repeating spirals. Together, they describe Isamu's childhood, caught between cultures with an American mother and Japanese father; how the tragedies of both nations shaped his artistic vision; and the eventual creation of his akari, or paper lanterns. The last section of the book, "Out Again," reinforces the snail metaphor and celebrates Isamu's change of heart, as he ultimately says yes to the art exhibition where, at the age of 81, he shows his beautifully unique akari. This section also becomes more luminous as the illustrations of the akari cast a warm glow of light. For the exhibition, Isamu also made a little spiral slide, which is featured in a fun concluding photograph. An author's note, in turn, reconciles Isamu's recognition as a sculptor with critics' misunderstanding of his akari. With Hughes' own skill, the complexities of Isamu's life and art are thoughtfully designed and exquisitely rendered.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Interspersed with full-color spreads that mark crucial moments in the life of sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904--1988), diaphanous grayscale illustrations by Hughes (the Charlie and Mouse series) give this picture book a sense of visual calm. But emotion roils underneath as lines describe Noguchi, the son of a white American mother and a Japanese father, as an artist whose work was rejected by both countries. Asked as an old man to represent the U.S. in an exhibition, he declines: "America never wanted me!" Attentive spreads describe the way "Isamu felt like a snail and called himself one.... In the shell, Isamu was safe with his memories and dreams and worked with complete focus." Toggling back and forth between the figure's youth and old age, the text portrays Noguchi's feeling of profound alienation from both cultures, his shortening both his hair and his name in an attempt to fit in with peers ("No cut, no change could bring him closer to others"), and, much later, his creation of akari--"sculptures that held light within"--en route to participating in the exhibition. Though the text sometimes proves confusing, relying on abstract phrasing, Hughes pays careful attention to the surfaces of Noguchi's sculpture--the heavy grain of wood, the dark gleam of polished stone--to create a visually elegant telling. Ages 8--12. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Nov.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--An enigmatic book on the life and art of Isamu Noguchi, the artist and landscape architect whose work included stage sets for productions by Martha Graham as well as furniture and lighting pieces that are still being manufactured and sold. Opening with him shouting into the phone, "America never wanted me," Hughes sets the central theme as his struggle between acceptance and rejection in the United States and Japan. Noguchi grew up between these two countries in the early 20th century and readers will see and feel the pull of the two cultures throughout the book. The illustrations are detailed and fascinating, a blend of black-and-white drawings and full-color renderings highlighting the art-making process and the places Noguchi lived and worked. Longer than most picture books, lacking back matter, and told in three parts, this title will all but force interested readers to do further research: the facts shared are somewhat spare about this life well worth knowing. The book will beguile older readers who are interested in artists and their creative process and who will treat this book as a stepping stone to knowing more about Noguchi. VERDICT Not a straightforward biography of the artist, this is recommended for collections where other materials on the life and work of Noguchi are available.--John Scott
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this picture book for an older audience than Yang's A Boy Named Isamu (rev. 9/21), Hughes presents an impressionistic biography of artist Isamu Noguchi. The book's emotional journey begins with an elderly Noguchi shouting into a phone, angrily turning down an invitation to represent the United States in an important art exhibition. Rejected too many times in both America and Japan, Noguchi "felt like a snail and called himself one." To calm down, he decides to build an akari, a lamp sculpted out of paper and bamboo, though difficult memories arise as he works. Born to a white American mother and a Japanese father, Noguchi grew up in both the U.S. and Japan yet never felt he belonged in either; World War II only deepened his sense of alienation. In her illustrations Hughes makes use of spirals and whorls to play with the snail theme: the artist often works so ferociously he's like a "typhoon"; coiled shapes fill his memories -- Japanese ferns, wood shavings, his curly hair as a child; and, finally, there's the rounded shell-like body of the light-filled lamp, his finished product. Noguchi feels "love from the akari's glow" and changes his mind about the invitation; his work at the exhibition ultimately includes a room filled with akari -- "a room full of light." In an author's note, Hughes says that while critics at the time complained that the akari were too commercial, she considers them "sculptures of joy...of lightness, impermanence." A brief bibliography is appended. Jennifer M. BrabanderJanuary/February 2023 p.104 (c) Copyright 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 glimpse into the life of an iconic sculptor. The son of a Japanese poet and an American writer, Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) struggled for acceptance in both Japan and the United States; he "felt like a snail and called himself one," most at home in his own shell. Hughes uses Noguchi's creation of an akari light sculpture for an exhibition as a device to dive into the artist's development. Curves are a motif throughout--as Noguchi works on the curves of the sculpture, he recalls being ostracized in Japan as a child for his curly hair, but he also remembers the fern tendrils of his beloved garden. He remembers the tension between his parents, each believing his future was in a different land, and he's reminded of World War II and its destruction, when he was seen as the enemy by both America and Japan. But the akari's paper brings comfort. Noguchi emerges from the creative process anew, at peace with himself and with the knowledge that he and his creations can't be categorized--that they are astounding, new, and uniquely him. Though the illustrations, which use graphite to delicately render his life, are effective, the text jumps across time and space and may at times confuse readers unfamiliar with the artist. In particular, it isn't clear why Noguchi was able to leave an imprisonment camp while other Japanese Americans remained. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An ambitious attempt to chronicle the life of a complex artist that falls short. (author's note, photo) (Picture-book biography. 8-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
