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A review by gymnerdreader
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
5.0
Annotated Bibliography Entry: Radiant Child by: Javaka Steptoe
Summary:
Jean-Michel Basquiat is a young boy living in Brooklyn NY. Born to a Puerto Rican mother, named Matilde and a Haitian father, named Gerard. Jean-Michel spends hours in his room drawing and his mother is the one who fuels his passion for art by taking him to art museums and drawing with him on the living room floor. Jean Michel dreams of becoming a famous artist, however that dream is threatened when he gets into a bad car accident. In his recovery, Jean-Michel is given an anatomy book where he draws all of the different body parts. Life continues for Jean-Michel, but soon drama follows when his mom suffers a mental breakdown and is removed from the home. This has a huge impact on Jean-Michel since he was very close with his mom. Eventually, Jean-Michel moves out of his house and settles in NYC and begins doing art full time, such as street art and graffiti. He becomes well known in the art world, but still maintains a close relationship with his mother whom he visits frequently.
Personal Response:
I like how this book featured an artist that is not very publicized. I am saying he is not talked about as much because I have never heard of him or his work. After reading this book I was so interested in his life that I actually googled him and found out that he friends with Andy Warhol and had similar artwork to Keith Haring. I also found out about his tragic death to a drug overdose. Needless to say, people know about Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, but they do not know about Basquiat. So I liked that this book profiled someone who is not as well known to the public. I also liked the overall message of the story: you can be anything as long as you dream and you can accomplish success despite your hardships or shortcomings. Jean Michel's art was not always neat and often went outside the lines, but it was greatly admired in the art world. I think that alone proves to kids that they can accomplish their dreams regardless of what others say or believe. Definitely an important message and I loved the way it was portrayed in this book.
Descriptions of Illustrations:
The illustrations of this book are quite striking and immediately caught my eye with its style and dramatic use of color. It is very abstract in style and there are subtle items illustrated throughout. I loved those little nuances that popped up throughout the story. For example, after the car accident Jean-Michel is gazing out the window as his mom leaves and you can see a picture of a heart on the sleeve of his shirt. Also, when he moves out of the house on the walls SAMO is printed, which was Jean-Michel's signature to his art and graffiti. It's these tiny little nuances that give the pictures so much meaning and character. The people are vibrant and almost pop off the page. This is also very illustrative of Basquiat's style, which is a nice touch (from what I can tell from google images).
Classroom Connections:
I think this would be a good book to use as an introduction for an art integration lesson or even an artist's spotlight. This book could be read at the beginning of the lesson as a way to introduce them to Basquiat and his career. Then teachers could further introduce them to him by displaying his work and they can talk about what they notice about his work, etc. Then teachers could have students create their own artworks about their own lives or even a current event in Basquiat's style. Students could then come up to the classroom and explain what their pictures represent and they could even talk about symbolism in their pictures, etc. I think this would be nice to do with older kids as they will be able to grasp more important concepts and be able to illustrate them. Teachers could also use this book as a means to motivate their students that they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it and they can be successful regardless of what others may think. This book could easily inspire kids, especially minority students in the classroom because they may be able to relate to Basquiat's life. We need to include diverse books, such as these in our classroom.
Summary:
Jean-Michel Basquiat is a young boy living in Brooklyn NY. Born to a Puerto Rican mother, named Matilde and a Haitian father, named Gerard. Jean-Michel spends hours in his room drawing and his mother is the one who fuels his passion for art by taking him to art museums and drawing with him on the living room floor. Jean Michel dreams of becoming a famous artist, however that dream is threatened when he gets into a bad car accident. In his recovery, Jean-Michel is given an anatomy book where he draws all of the different body parts. Life continues for Jean-Michel, but soon drama follows when his mom suffers a mental breakdown and is removed from the home. This has a huge impact on Jean-Michel since he was very close with his mom. Eventually, Jean-Michel moves out of his house and settles in NYC and begins doing art full time, such as street art and graffiti. He becomes well known in the art world, but still maintains a close relationship with his mother whom he visits frequently.
Personal Response:
I like how this book featured an artist that is not very publicized. I am saying he is not talked about as much because I have never heard of him or his work. After reading this book I was so interested in his life that I actually googled him and found out that he friends with Andy Warhol and had similar artwork to Keith Haring. I also found out about his tragic death to a drug overdose. Needless to say, people know about Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, but they do not know about Basquiat. So I liked that this book profiled someone who is not as well known to the public. I also liked the overall message of the story: you can be anything as long as you dream and you can accomplish success despite your hardships or shortcomings. Jean Michel's art was not always neat and often went outside the lines, but it was greatly admired in the art world. I think that alone proves to kids that they can accomplish their dreams regardless of what others say or believe. Definitely an important message and I loved the way it was portrayed in this book.
Descriptions of Illustrations:
The illustrations of this book are quite striking and immediately caught my eye with its style and dramatic use of color. It is very abstract in style and there are subtle items illustrated throughout. I loved those little nuances that popped up throughout the story. For example, after the car accident Jean-Michel is gazing out the window as his mom leaves and you can see a picture of a heart on the sleeve of his shirt. Also, when he moves out of the house on the walls SAMO is printed, which was Jean-Michel's signature to his art and graffiti. It's these tiny little nuances that give the pictures so much meaning and character. The people are vibrant and almost pop off the page. This is also very illustrative of Basquiat's style, which is a nice touch (from what I can tell from google images).
Classroom Connections:
I think this would be a good book to use as an introduction for an art integration lesson or even an artist's spotlight. This book could be read at the beginning of the lesson as a way to introduce them to Basquiat and his career. Then teachers could further introduce them to him by displaying his work and they can talk about what they notice about his work, etc. Then teachers could have students create their own artworks about their own lives or even a current event in Basquiat's style. Students could then come up to the classroom and explain what their pictures represent and they could even talk about symbolism in their pictures, etc. I think this would be nice to do with older kids as they will be able to grasp more important concepts and be able to illustrate them. Teachers could also use this book as a means to motivate their students that they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it and they can be successful regardless of what others may think. This book could easily inspire kids, especially minority students in the classroom because they may be able to relate to Basquiat's life. We need to include diverse books, such as these in our classroom.