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Memoirs by Great Picture-Book Artists

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Cover art for BIGMAMA'S
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 1991
BIGMAMA'S
by Donald Crews, illustrated by Donald Crews
"A grand alternative to the plethora of predictable books about white kids visiting grandparents on stereotypical family farms. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Beginning with the ride on the old Southern Railway car ("colored" says the sign on the wall), the sights, sounds, and warm delights of a summer visit to Grandma in Crews's own childhood—a three-day trip from somewhere up north. Read full book review >
Cover art for DON'T YOU KNOW THERE'S A WAR ON?
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 1992
DON'T YOU KNOW THERE'S A WAR ON?
by James Stevenson, illustrated by James Stevenson
"Again, Stevenson assembles quintessential bits of daily life, evoking an entire era along with his particular experience of it. (Autobiography/Picture book. 5-9)"
 Another vignette from the popular illustrator's boyhood: 1942-45, while his brother was in the navy. Read full book review >
Cover art for THOSE SUMMERS
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 30, 1996
THOSE SUMMERS
by Aliki, illustrated by Aliki
"In contrast to the excellent text, the pictures—though pleasant in every way—are almost irrelevant; Aliki (My Visit to the Aquarium, 1993, etc.) paints what has already been amply evoked in the magic of her words. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)"
 This warm and accessible memoir of Aliki's childhood days at the beach with her extended family is a tone poem that vividly reflects a wealth of detail. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE RAINBOW TULIP
ADULT
Released: Sept. 1, 1999
THE RAINBOW TULIP
by Pat Mora
"Sayles's softly colored illustrations, by turns wistful and vibrant, capture the times and the tone as a young child finds her place in her parents' new country. (Picture book. 5-9)"
Set in El Paso, Texas, in the 1920s, this moving family memoir focuses on Mora's mother as a child, who participated in her own way in a May Day parade. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE YEAR I DIDN’T GO TO SCHOOL
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2002
Kirkus Star THE YEAR I DIDN’T GO TO SCHOOL
by Giselle Potter, illustrated by Giselle Potter
"Fans of Tomie DePaola's ongoing autobiography, or Patricia Polacco's sentiment-steeped reminiscences, will enjoy this glimpse of a decidedly unconventional childhood sojourn. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 7-9)"
Potter (Brave Little Seamstress, p. 576, etc.) draws from family history for her first solo turn, recalling a tour of Italy that her puppeteering family undertook when she was seven. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOW I LEARNED GEOGRAPHY
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 4, 2008
HOW I LEARNED GEOGRAPHY
by Uri Shulevitz, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
"Signature watercolor illustrations contrast the stark misery of refugee life with the boundless joys of the imagination. (Picture book. 4-8)"
A refugee boy learns more than geography from his father in this autobiographical memoir. Read full book review >