This tribute to collage artist Romare Bearden is movingly executed in a fictionalized story of young James, who visits his aunt and uncle in New York while his parents adjust to the arrival of twins. James is a little nervous; Uncle Romie and Aunt Nanette don’t have any kids, and a picture of Uncle Romie makes him look a little scary. Who will bake him a lemon cake and take him to the baseball game on his birthday? Aunt Nanette turns out to be warmhearted and welcoming, but Uncle Romie, busy with his art, seems a little distant. When the big day arrives, Uncle Romie turns out to be more fun that James anticipated. When James enters the art studio for the first time, he recognizes Harlem in Romie’s collage paintings that he’d previously dismissed as “kinda easy” to make, and he sees one that reminds him of North Carolina, where Uncle Romie also grew up. Uncle and nephew bond a little over shared memories of home, and then Uncle Romie surprises James with tickets to the ballgame. Aunt Nanette is back in time for cake, and by the time James goes home, his horizons have expanded not only in terms of his family, but in his appreciation for other places and for the power of art. So many things at home now remind him of Uncle Romie that he makes a collage birthday card for him featuring train schedules, tiger lilies, a subway token and subway map, and his own painting. Lagarrigue’s (Freedom Summer, 2001, etc.) collage artwork, like Bearden’s, possesses a real feel for the Harlem setting without actually being realistic. He conveys the essence of the place through bits of paper, darkly colored paint, and impressionistically blurry portrayals of people and scenes. A guide at the back to help young artists create their own collages enhances this fitting introduction to an American artist. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8037-2520-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
Vigorously told, hilariously illustrated: the tale of three spotted friends—Henry, Sal, and Margaret (frog, moose, and duck)- -united by their twin passions for donuts and music, then reunited, after a falling out, by their mutual regard. Meeting by chance in an N.Y.C. donut shop, the three quickly discover how much they have in common, form a band, and rocket to the top—``They played for the president. They played for the Queen of England. They played for MADONNA!'' When gabby, charismatic Sal begins to hog the talk shows and inevitable movie set, Margaret and Henry split in disgust, but soon they miss one another too much to stay apart. Media-conscious readers will laugh at the droll ads and celebrity caricatures in Primavera's exuberant, cartoony illustrations, and enjoy the simple, feel-good story. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 14, 1993
ISBN: 0-399-22429-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1993
The Brackens are a rather belligerent family. Joe gives up on his coon hound when it won't help him hunt (a coon watches as the dog curls up to sleep under an accommodating fir); Mrs. Bracken flings her wash water at a pesky jay, which escapes to the same tree; their son's slingshot is aimed at squirrels, the hired hands' truck injures a fox—and all the animals find refuge in or under the old tree. Fortunately, its odd shape disqualifies it as lumber, but the woodsmen who cut surrounding trees mention it to the Brackens, who investigate it on Christmas Eve and find a veritable Peaceable Kingdom in its snowy branches. In Aldridge's spare, understated narrative, the outcome is a real surprise, with the thought-provoking ``we have met the enemy and they are us'' message ably supported in San Souci's capably composed, realistic watercolors. Pleasantly offbeat. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 29, 1993
ISBN: 0-02-700407-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1993
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