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trevoryan's review
4.0
A fun autobiographical introduction to this artist. Highly recommended for kids interested in becoming an artist.
sducharme's review
4.0
Puts the reader in the situation of a visit with the artist, Chuck Close. Sections begin with common questions about his artistic process, and he answers fully with lots of detail and pictures to support the ideas. A middle section with cardboard pages cut cross-wise into thirds adds an element of fun. We can rearrange the sections to create new versions of the picture.
Close was paralyzed in his 40's and the section about this event and his path to recovery is particularly interesting.
Close was paralyzed in his 40's and the section about this event and his path to recovery is particularly interesting.
librariandest's review
4.0
"Why do you only paint faces?"
"Why doesn't anyone in your art smile?"
"When you were paralyzed, were you afraid you wouldn't be able to paint again?"
These are some of the questions artist Chuck Close answers in his new autobiography for children. Filled with his portraits of mostly ordinary people, this book let's readers into Close's extraordinary life.
Born right here in Washington state in 1940, Close began taking art lessons at age 8. His severe dyslexia and prosopagnosia (face blindness) made school difficult, and so he put the full force of his attention into art. Over the years, Close developed his distinctive portraiture style featuring giant canvases filled with neutral faces, including many self-portraits. One great feature of this book is a section of Close's self-portraits divided horizontally into thirds so readers can mix and match his different works (you can see an example of this on the book's cover).
For 8- to 12-year-old budding artists and art lovers, there's no better non-fiction to read this summer. It's an inspirational story of an artist who overcame significant hardship to achieve success and fame.
"Why doesn't anyone in your art smile?"
"When you were paralyzed, were you afraid you wouldn't be able to paint again?"
These are some of the questions artist Chuck Close answers in his new autobiography for children. Filled with his portraits of mostly ordinary people, this book let's readers into Close's extraordinary life.
Born right here in Washington state in 1940, Close began taking art lessons at age 8. His severe dyslexia and prosopagnosia (face blindness) made school difficult, and so he put the full force of his attention into art. Over the years, Close developed his distinctive portraiture style featuring giant canvases filled with neutral faces, including many self-portraits. One great feature of this book is a section of Close's self-portraits divided horizontally into thirds so readers can mix and match his different works (you can see an example of this on the book's cover).
For 8- to 12-year-old budding artists and art lovers, there's no better non-fiction to read this summer. It's an inspirational story of an artist who overcame significant hardship to achieve success and fame.
a_manning11's review
5.0
This is an amazing, interactive, kid-centered biography of a highly interesting artist. I loved the flip-art section in the middle that allows children to explore the statement Chuck Close makes about his art. I love the combination of information on Close's life and insights into his art. I love that the book is structured and based on an interview carried out by children. The graphics are excellent and the text is clear.
A high-quality timeline, list of resources and glossary finish off this exemplary work for children.
A high-quality timeline, list of resources and glossary finish off this exemplary work for children.
redroofcolleen's review
5.0
A book meant for kids but truly awesome for adult fans! Learn about Chuck Close's personal and artistic journey and have some fun, too. The middle portion of the book is a series of self-portraits that the reader can flip, mixing and matching, while also seeing the great detail that goes into his extraordinary work. I loved it!
nerfherder86's review
4.0
Great look at this artist's life and career. Has a series of pages sliced into three strips, all showing same size Chuck Close self-portraits, so that readers can flip the pieces back and forth and mix-and-match the various media portraits. Cool interactive feature! Written in Q&A format, as if students/readers are asking him questions at his studio. "How did you become such a great artist?" He answers, "Whoa! I'm not sure about that, but I can tell you how I became an artist"... Nice informal, chatty style. Has full timeline at the end, a list of resources and a glossary. Book is colorfully designed, lots of illustrations, solid color backgrounds to break up white space.
daysreads's review
3.0
I didn't realize this book was for children, but I enjoyed it. I really like Chuck Close's artwork, and so I'm glad I read this.
ermartinez's review
5.0
I've been familiar with Chuck Close's work for a few year now, so I was happy to see that his book "Chuck Close: Face Book" was chosen to receive a Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award for the 2015 list.
The format/layout of this book will really appeal to young readers, as some of the pages are split so that you can piece together different self-portraits of his. Chuck Close talks about how he became an artist, certain challenges he's had to overcome in the process (he's paralyzed from the chest down), and why he paints the way he does, to name a few. He ends the book by giving advice to young artists and painters as well. This book is really engaging and encouraging to young kids and teens who might be considering pursuing art as a career, or just have a general interest in art.
The format/layout of this book will really appeal to young readers, as some of the pages are split so that you can piece together different self-portraits of his. Chuck Close talks about how he became an artist, certain challenges he's had to overcome in the process (he's paralyzed from the chest down), and why he paints the way he does, to name a few. He ends the book by giving advice to young artists and painters as well. This book is really engaging and encouraging to young kids and teens who might be considering pursuing art as a career, or just have a general interest in art.