Fletcher addresses budding memoirists in his latest writing manual, offering both practical techniques for getting started and general advice about the craft of writing vividly—from constructing a well-paced narrative to communicating a sense of authenticity. For example, he draws from his own autobiography, Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid (2005), as well as passages from both young writers and professionals, and for further insight he tucks in pithy interviews with Jack Gantos, Jerry Spinelli and Kathi Appelt. Capped by a list of autobiographies written for young readers, and enhanced by examples of the preparatory physical and emotional “maps” that some writers use as frameworks, this is all systematic, carefully constructed and likely to be helpful for both assignment-driven and creative writing. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: July 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-06-050770-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Collins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2007
The downcast eyes and grave expressions of the monumental figures in Fisher’s paintings set a tone that occasionally contradicts the text’s exuberance, e.g., Bell’s “joyous capacity for learning all there was to know about the universe grew as large as his waistline”—but this recap of the inventor’s character and accomplishments is engrossing reading and a grand tribute to an extraordinary imagination. Fisher provides detailed accounts of the inventions and incisive views of their significance; his pictures may lack the visual flash of those in Tom L. Matthews’s Always Inventing (see review, below), but they provide clear, straightforward detail. The lack of a bibliography is the only disappointment; Fisher finds plenty to admire in Bell, as will readers. (diagrams, chronology) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81607-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
paper 1-57505-370-5 In this valuable addition to the On My Own Biography series of easy readers, Lowery (Georgia O’Keeffe, 1996, etc.) renders an intriguing and lucid portrait of the man often referred to as the most celebrated artist of the 20th century. The book begins with young Picasso puzzling over math equations. Finding math difficult, he came up with an inventive alternative, swirling and bending numbers on the page until they became fanciful creations. As a boy, Picasso was often sent to a “cell” as punishment for his lack of academic focus, but there he found the long hours nothing but pleasant, doing just what he loved best, “drawing, drawing, drawing.” This book takes readers on a journey through the highlights of Picasso’s life, visiting his Blue Period, his Rose Period and lingering over cubism. Lowery also makes clear Picasso’s mercurial and tempestuous nature, describing his swings from flamboyant rage to ecstatic joy. She aptly demonstrates how Picasso’s art became an expression of his character and his character an extension of his art. In pleasing textures of oil on canvas and warm hues, Porter’s accompanying illustrations quite nicely echo the art of its subject. (photos, chronology) (Biography. 8-11)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 1999
ISBN: 1-57505-331-4
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
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