Reviews

Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews by Kathleen Benson Haskins, Benny Andrews

stenaros's review

3.0

Read for librarian book group
Story of the life of Artist Benny Andrews, who also illustrated the book. Good, although Mr. Andrews seems to be no longer with us which was addressed in a weird way. Present tense in the book itself, past tense references on the flap with the author/illustrator notes.

nerfherder86's review

4.0

Tells the life story of Benny Andrews, sharecropper's son who became well-known African American artist known for teaching art and helping others, and protesting the exclusion of minority artists in exhibitions. The book is illustrated solely with Benny's art, from rural scenes to urban paintings. Gives timeline of his life, sources.

corncobwebs's review

A somewhat dry account of an artist's life. I liked the overall messages -- art is important, anyone can create art, always fight for your dreams -- but nothing about the book popped for me. It was cool that the art was created by the subject of the biography, but it didn't strike me as having a lot of kid appeal. And since Andrews isn't really a household name, I'm not sure how much interest it would garner in my community.

librarylandlisa's review

4.0

Story of Benny Andres's life in an easy to digest kids picture book. I love that the illustrations are done by Andrews and it is neat to hear and see how his life influenced his artwork.