Luke draws the nose and ears in the wrong place in a portrait. And worst of all he draws a completely imaginary view of the scene through the classroom window. Mr. Barraclough totally rejects Luke’s artistic attempts. He screams at Luke, tears his work, and even destroys his brushes. Friday art class becomes a torment. One Friday Luke gets on a bus, and discovers a museum of modern art. “For the first time in his life, Luke felt at home.” (This brings up some unanswered questions about his home life. Perhaps his teacher is not the only one who rejects his vision.) He sees abstract and surreal paintings and sculptures that look just perfect to him. He is carried back to school in such a state of euphoria that even the bus ride presents him with exciting new visions. He arrives just in time to join the art class and paints a watermelon of such surreal beauty that even Mr. Barraclough is speechless. In a visual tour de force Ottley uses a dazzling variety of styles, media, and techniques that virtually encapsulate a history of modern art and includes visual references to Picasso, Dali, Pollock, and more. On the surface Wheatley’s text and Ottley’s illustrations present a plea for understanding that the artist’s vision should be accepted, appreciated, and allowed to express itself freely. However, there appears to be something disturbing here too. Mr. Barraclough is presented as a raging, monstrous figure both in the text and the illustrations. He doesn’t just disapprove of Luke’s art; he becomes a depiction of evil. Mr. Barraclough and everything in the ordinary world are drawn in pen and ink with an emphasis on shadows. Only Luke’s paintings and the works in the museum are given color. As Luke is awakened to the “rightness” of his vision, he and the world around him take on color and brightness. Mr. B. doesn’t achieve color until he ceases to denigrate Luke’s work. So what is the message? Who decides what art is good art? In the end there is no real respect for different visions; they are merely placed in warring camps, sure to stir up controversy. (Picture book. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-929132-18-2
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
In these 12 retellings, the Immortals come across as unusually benign. Dionysius at first suggests to King Midas that he give his excess wealth to the poor, for instance; the troubles that Pandora releases are originally imprisoned in the box by Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus out of compassion for humankind; and it’s Persephone herself who begs for a compromise that will allow her to stay with her beloved Hades for six months out of every year. Kimmel relates each tale in easy, natural-sounding language. And even though his Andromeda looks more Celtic than Ethiopian (as the oldest versions of the story have it), Montserrat’s figures combine appropriate monumentality with an appealing expressiveness. The stories are all familiar and available in more comprehensive collections, but the colorful illustrations and spacious page design make this a good choice for shared reading. (foreword) (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1534-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2007
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
