Middle Grade Monday: The Year I Stopped Drawing: an Illustrated Novel in Verse by Grant Snider

Image: Abrams

The Year I Stopped Drawing: an Illustrated Novel in Verse by Grant Snider. 312 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, November 10, 2026. 9781419788383. Review of arc courtesy of publisher.

Adam Zane has always been known as the best artist in his class, but he's entering seventh grade and everything is about to change for him - his brother left for college and hasn't communicated with Adam, his parents are fighting, but pretending that they're not, his best friend had a growth spurt, and worst of all, a new girl is a better artist than he. He's at sea. His grades begin to suffer, he refuses to attempt to create any art. When his anger at being constantly bullied by Jason erupts, and he ends up with an in-school suspension, his counselor sets him a challenge

Trust me when I say that grade seven is cataclysmic. So much change is happening to these kids from the onset of puberty (or lack of onset) to the shifting friendships, to the increased difficulty of classes. The appeal of this illustrated novel in verse lies in its utter relatability and readability. Post-It Notes separate chapters by months of the school year and there are pencil drawings accompanying each poem. The presentation is clean and engaging. Middle school readers will find much to connect with. Touching at times, humorous at others, this book is a solid addition to any collection. I can't wait to read the finished book! Highly recommend!

Happy reading!

Fact Friday: Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney

Image: LBYR

Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney. 160 p. LBYR/ Hachette Book Group, January, 2023. 9780316383851. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Mr. Pinkney finally won the Caldecott Medal for his wordless depiction of Aesop's fable, The Lion and Mouse after winning the Honor medal five times. He had been working on his memoir for ten years before his death in 2021. It is told in three parts and highlights his Black neighborhood in and around East Earlham Street in Philadelphia, his large and close-knit family and his struggles in school as a dyslexic. He always carried materials to draw with and did so whenever he could. This intimate memoir is filled with brown and white sketches of Mr. Pinkney, his family and his neighborhood. Budding artists and fans of his work will love this.

Fact Friday: World of Glass: the Art of Dale Chihuly by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

Image: Abrams Books

World of Glass: the Art of Dale Chihuly by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. 64 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, May, 2020. 9781419736810. (Review of finished copy borrowed from the public library.)

Happy Friday! Fact Friday features World of Glass: the Art of Dale Chihuly by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. If you're an artist, art lover or student of art history, you should never miss a biography written by these two collaborators. 

Dale Chihuly is a world-renowned glassblower. His innovative style and use of shapes and color make his glass sculptures singularly unique. The authors trace the artist's life from his childhood in Tacoma, Washington through the loss of both his brother and father, through college to his professional life. The text is accompanied by many striking color photos of the artist in action and his pieces.

World of Glass is a handsome addition to any library.

Fact Friday and Arc Review: Sylvie by Sylvie Kantrovitz

Image: Candlewick Press

Sylvie by Sylvie Kantrovitz. 352 p. Candlewick Press, February 9, 2021. 9781536207620. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday! We made it through another week of hybrid learning/ teaching! Our Graphic Novel Week concludes with Fact Friday, which features Sylvie by Sylvie Kantrovitz. Sylvie moves with her family from Morocco to France as a young child so that her father can become principal of a school. She and her family have an apartment at the school and she and her brother delight in exploring all the nooks and crannies when they aren't fighting with each other. 

As she grows older and relationships become more complicated, she realizes some things - her parents fight a lot, and maybe it isn't the coolest thing to be the daughter of the principal. She loves her gentle father very much and becomes aware that she disappoints her mother. Sylvie loves art and her mom insists that she pursue math and science. 

This graphic novel memoir explores Sylvie's complicated relationships using simple language and uncomplicated cartoonish art. Universal themes such as identity, friendship and parental love make Sylvie relatable. Look for it February 9, 2021. 

Fact Friday: Flying Paintings: the Zhou Brothers: a story of revolution and art by Amy Alzauer

Image: Candlewick Press

Flying Paintings: the Zhou Brothers: a story of revolution and art by Amy Alzauer. Illustrated by Shan Zuo Zhou & DaHuang Zhou. 48 p. Candlewick Press, September, 2020. 9781536204285. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features Flying Paintings: the Zhou Brothers: a story of revolution and art by Amy Alzauer. Illustrated by Shan Zuo Zhou & DaHuang Zhou. Two boys were born several year apart "in the back of a bookstory on the highest hill in Wuming, China." Shaoli arrived first, followed several years later by Shaoning. They were raised by their grandmother, Po Po after their parents were imprisoned. Eventually, the book store was closed because "the new People's Republic of China did not appreciate the high spirits of people who ran their own stores or made their own art."

This gorgeously illustrated picture book biography, illustrated by the subjects themselves is immersive. The text is poetic, spare and impressionistic, prompting curiosity in the reader to learn more. The creamy pages have heft. Back matter consists of a helpful author's note and photo of the brothers. A photo of the brothers at work on one of their pieces gives the reader a sense of scale. There were no suggestions for further reading. 

This lovely book lends itself to many uses in the classroom from social studies, to art to language arts.  

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Doodleville by Chad Sell.

Image: Penguin Random House

Doodleville by Chad Sell. 288 p. Alfred A. Knopf BFYR/ Random House Children's Books/ Penguin Random House, June, 2020. 9781984894717. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features Doodleville by Chad Sell. Mr. Sell was one of the authors of the wildly popular Cardboard Kingdom from a year or so back; so fans of that book should really take a look at this one. Doodleville is Sell's first solo graphic novel. 

Drew may not be the best artist, but she sure does love to draw. Readers see a three-year-old Drew enthusiastically making art in her booster seat at her parents' diner. As she grows, her scribbles become doodles with a penchant for jumping off the pages of her sketch book and getting her in trouble. By age nine, she's using rolls of white paper intended for the diner tables to create homes for her many doodles - Doodleville! She and the art club are headed to The Art Institute where the club will study the masterpieces and practice drawing. Drew gets into trouble when one of her doodles pops out and onto a masterpiece. The guard thinks she has drawn on the art. Then, another doodle decides to steal the hat from a baby in another painting and Drew is suspected of defacing the art! 

All of this conflict is added to feelings Drew already has about not being as good an artist as the rest of her club-mates. When her doodles decide to jump out of Drew's sketchbook and into the other's art, things get a tad tense. Then, Drew creates Levi - short for Leviathan. He's huge and toothy and is supposed to be nice. As Drew's emotions get out of hand, so does Levi. Jeweled purple predominates in the mostly earth-toned art. Panels are dynamic and light and darkness are effectively used as Drew battles demons without and within. Doodleville concludes, but with the promise to return. Hand this charmer to fans of graphic novels and/ or budding young artists. 

Fact Friday: Etched in Clay: the life of Dave, enslaved potter and poet by Andrea Cheng

Image: Lee & Low Books

Etched in Clay: the life of Dave, enslaved and potter poet by Andrea Cheng. 160 p. Lee & Low Books, January, 2013. 9781600604515.

Fact Friday features Etched in Clay: the life of Dave, enslaved and potter poet by Andrea Cheng. This is a biography in verse about Dave, an enslaved young man, who, around 1815 was brought to Edgefield, South Carolina, and taught to throw pots. He learned quickly and was soon designing and creating a variety of beautiful and useful pottery. Defying anti-literacy laws, he taught himself to read and proved to be not only a master potter, but a poet. He carved poems which described his daily life into many of his pots. 

Fact Friday: Rosa's Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie by Maryann Macdonald

Rosa's Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie by Maryann McDonald. 64 p. Abrams, June, 2018.9781419728501. (Review of purchased finished copy.)

Now, before I even begin to tell you about this biography, I ask you, how can you resist that cover? It is not a photograph but a painting so realistic, the lion looks ready to leap from the cover. Fantastic. The painter? Rosa Bonheur, who was born into an artistic household and who had the good fortune of having an open-minded father who not only encouraged her art but her education. She developed a love of animals and painting them early and it continued all of her life. Her studio was a veritable barn and is depicted in one of the many crisp photos of her artwork. 

The slightly oversized book is beautifully designed, with plenty of white space and well-captioned photos. The storytelling is brisk and engaging, though my one quibble has to do with the depiction of the artist's friendship with Buffalo Bill Cody. While fine historical context was provided earlier, there was little no mention of how exploitative Cody was of Native Americans. Plentiful backmatter is provided for budding artists to find out more. 

Arc Review: Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton

Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton. Illustrated by Benjamin Schipper. 220 p. Rabbit Room Press, April 28, 2017. 9780986381881. (Review from arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media)

Henry is an artist and a bit of an oddity at La Muncha Elementary School. His teachers and classmates don't know what a great artist Henry is because he does not share his art - not even with his very best friend. When he refuses to color a ridiculous bunny template for his class' entry into an "Eat Your Vegetables" art show in the cafeteria, a note is sent home. His parents are supportive of Henry's talents. His mother allows him to draw on his bedroom walls. Indeed, she created a surface upon which Henry can draw, erase and draw again to his heart's content. They encourage him to take part in the school project but Henry absolutely cannot. He gets quite angry, in fact. He's also angry about a few other things. The kids at school don't treat him kindly and he recently got angry with his very best friend, Oscar and there's a ripped up something under his bed to prove it.

As Henry reluctantly gets ready to go to school, the magnificent dragon that he drew on his wall slips off and into his backpack. Henry has no choice but to bring him to school. He dons a suit of armor because that's what knights do and boards the school bus, where he is ridiculed. His ally, the bus driver, who sees Henry for what he is, isn't able to help Henry. 

Once inside school, the dragon slips out of the backpack and magical mayhem ensues. It's all explained away by the clueless adults who cannot "see" the dragon. It's up to Henry to subdue his work of art who seems to be able to change into anything Henry has drawn in his secret sketchpad. He is joined by Oscar and Jade, the new girl at school. Jade is fierce. She is a poet along the lines of traveling minstrels and has been watching Henry very closely. She sees Henry's potential. If only Henry would recognize the ally that she is!

This book is quirky with a capital Q. I will admit that quirky sometimes rubs me the wrong way. When I read the back jacket and saw that the name of the town was Squashbuckle, I was ready to be rubbed. Thankfully, my edges were smoothed on the first page by the wonder of Henry's door and the lovely, evocative writing. There are lots of italics and the occasional odd capitalization for emphasis that lend charm, like "Work of Art." Speaking of art, the cover, with it's slate feel and chalk writing, is perfect; as are the bits of spot art that were available in the arc I read.

I cannot wait for the book to come out so that I can get it into the hands of a variety of readers - my artists, my quiet kids, my kids who want adventure, my kids who want funny (because many of the scenes are laugh-out-loud funny), ...any of my kids really.

Visit the author's site for a terrific curriculum guide! 

Non-fiction Monday: Radiant Child: the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

Radiant Child: the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe. unpgd. Little, Brown and Company, October, 2016. 9780316213882. (Review from purchased finished copy)

I had the privilege of attending the Little Brown spring preview, where I not only received an fng of this book, but got to view Javaka Steptoe's original art and listen to him speak about his research for the book and his artistic process. I read the fng immediately and posted a five-star quickie review to Goodreads. I also marked it as a 2016 favorite and intended to review it more fully here. I. Never. Did.

When all the starred reviews started appearing, I still somehow did not get around to reviewing it. Ugh! I am so lame! Now, it's deservedly appearing on many of the year-end "Best" lists. Last Thursday morning, I finally covered my school library's finished copy and, before displaying it on a shelf, sat down to reread it for the fifth or sixth time.

My love for this book has not diminished one iota. In fact, the finished copy is even more gorgeous. The care that went into this book shows on every page from the decorated end-pages to the portrait of Basquiat as a young man before the title page through the backgrounds for the title page and back matter. 

In a note, "About This Book," Steptoe explains that he emulated Basquiat and used "bits of New York City to create the artwork for this book." His "canvases" were textured pieces of wood retrieved from dumpsters and exhibit pieces discarded by the Brooklyn Museum. The art is simply stunning. Each double-page spread invites lingering as the textures and colors meld with other media such as colored pencils and tubes of paint. I find something new with each reread. 

The back matter includes a page with more information about the artist; an explanation of the motifs and symbolism used in the author/ illustrator's paintings and a note from Javaka Steptoe explaining his own connection to Basquiat and encouraging young artists to pursue their dreams.

Share this title with your art teachers. Radiant Child is a must-purchase title for all kinds of libraries. 

Stone Giant by Jane Sutcliffe

Stone Giant: Michelangelo's David and how he came to be by Jane Sutcliffe. Illustrated by John Shelley. unpgd. Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., April, 2014. 9781580892957. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

How many of the picture book crowd you might hang around with can even pronounce Michelangelo's name, let alone tell you that he was a renowned Renaissance painter and sculptor or identify his sculpture of David? They will after reading this delightful tale of how he came to sculpt David. Personally, I was fairly well acquainted with the artist's work at a fairly young age thanks to my parents' subscription to that Time-Life series on the greatest artists of all time. Unfortunately, I couldn't read much more than the captions as the text was written for adults and I was eight. But I vividly recall poring over those books as they arrived, then, "rereading" them again and again. Luckily, Sutlcliffe's tale is quite readable and Shelley's illustrations beg the reader to pause and pore over the delightful details in illustrations that evoke Tomie dePaola and Trina SchartHyman. 

I liked how the author conveyed the idea that Michelangelo saw David within the stone and how the illustrator conveyed the scale of the work. Michelangelo's discipline and perseverance are conveyed nicely as well Florence's history and spirit. An Author's Note and suggestions for further reading are included. Sadly, there is no note from the illustrator. It seems that many of his paintings were imitated the style of Renaissance art.

This is a picture book for all ages. It is an art book however and David is a nude so keep your audience in mind. Let your art teacher know about this one and include it in the pile of books you send down to the social studies teacher when asked for books on the Renaissance.

Non-Fiction Monday:Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers: The life of Marc Chagall in Verse

by J. Patrick Lewis & Jane Yolen. 40 p. The Creative Company, August, 2011. 9781568562110. (Purchased)

Two premier poets team up again, this time they use fourteen of Marc Chagall's paintings as inspiration for poems depicting various stages in his life. Full-page, full-color, fully annotated reproductions reside opposite a poem, which bears the name of the painting. Pale-tinted text boxes below each poem provide more information about the artist's life in prose and below that, if necessary are definitions of the Hebrew or Yiddish words used above. Several black and white photographs are also reproduced. The final page lists works that the authors consulted.

What a creative and intriguing biography! I was a bit surprised by the copyright date of 2011. How had I missed this? I don't remember what prompted me to put this in my school library book order, but I'm glad I did. It might lend itself to lovely cross-curricular collaboration with the art teacher, not necessarily biographical but perhaps having students choose a painting of an artist or artistic movement being studies and composing poetry along with a bit of additional research. Or, the book can be part of a literature circle with a verse biography theme, joining books by Marilyn Nelson (A Wreath for Emmett Till; Carver: a life in poems), Margarita Engle (Poet Slave of Cuba), Carmen T. Bernier-Grand (Frida: Viva la Vida!), or Carole Boston Weatherford (Becoming Billie Holiday). 

Of course, it can be enjoyed all on its own and certainly deserves space in the poetry collection.

Non-Fiction Monday is being hosted this week by A Wrung Sponge.

Diego Rivera: an artist for the people by Susan Goldman Rubin

56 P. Harry N. Abrams, February 5, 2013.  9780810984110. (Finished copy provided by publisher.)

This lovely book arrived in the mail for the regional book evaluation that I help coordinate, and I couldn't resist taking a peek before processing it for the next meeting. I hope I can grab it for my library collection.

I knew of Diego Rivera and could identify some of his art, but otherwise knew very little of him, except that he was Frida Kahlo's husband. Teehee. Do you want to know how happy writing that made me? (I must have been channeling Amy Poehler from the Emmys.) 

Okay, back to this lovely biography. It really is lovely. It's slightly oversized and square. Beautifully designed with a pleasing font and little curliques and plenty of photos. A cogent, flowing, readable narrative accompanied by lots of photos of the artist and his work. The author provides historical context within the text as well as at the end. 

Another aside: when I tried to add the entry to my Goodreads account, I couldn't find the book. It's on Goodreads as, The Life and Art of a Genial Cannibal, which just tickled me. It was  probably a good move to change the title, but it sure is attention-grabbing, isn't it?