This sketchbook comes with a built-in tutor and muse—and page designs so intriguing, readers will want to try this at home.
With this companion to Drawing Is Magic (2015), Hendrix (author, illustrator, and founding chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at Washington University in St. Louis) digs deeper into the creative process.
The title refers to lists readers are encouraged to make, which become the basis for the stimulating exercises, games, and prompts, organized in six chapters. Hendrix approaches the topic with a rare mixture of wit, sound advice, and philosophical musings, building to a work that’s far more than the sum of its parts. He establishes a dialogue with an imagined student—represented via forest green speech bubbles—then dispels myths such as “Your first drawing will always be the best one.” Vintage etchings, the author’s art, and his signature dimensional lettering are composed in green, black, and white, with room for reader art. Interspersed are illuminating quotes from other mentors: Madeleine L’Engle, Plato, Yoda. Asterisks signal artistic vocabulary, defined further in a glossary. The role of expected elements like line, shape, and observation are covered, as are the more surprising notions of play, memory, and how limits can, seemingly counterintuitively, lead to more creativity. Particularly fascinating are Hendrix’s ruminations on the symbiosis between writing and drawing—and the conclusion in which he urges his audience to consider the “why” of art: “What will you help the world see?”
This sketchbook comes with a built-in tutor and muse—and page designs so intriguing, readers will want to try this at home. (glossary, second list of things, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 10-18)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781419776168
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
Essential.
A guidebook for taking action against racism.
The clear title and bold, colorful illustrations will immediately draw attention to this book, designed to guide each reader on a personal journey to work to dismantle racism. In the author’s note, Jewell begins with explanations about word choice, including the use of the terms “folx,” because it is gender neutral, and “global majority,” noting that marginalized communities of color are actually the majority in the world. She also chooses to capitalize Black, Brown, and Indigenous as a way of centering these communities’ voices; "white" is not capitalized. Organized in four sections—identity, history, taking action, and working in solidarity—each chapter builds on the lessons of the previous section. Underlined words are defined in the glossary, but Jewell unpacks concepts around race in an accessible way, bringing attention to common misunderstandings. Activities are included at the end of each chapter; they are effective, prompting both self-reflection and action steps from readers. The activities are designed to not be written inside the actual book; instead Jewell invites readers to find a special notebook and favorite pen and use that throughout. Combining the disruption of common fallacies, spotlights on change makers, the author’s personal reflections, and a call to action, this powerful book has something for all young people no matter what stage they are at in terms of awareness or activism.
Essential. (author’s note, further reading, glossary, select bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-18)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7112-4521-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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