Reviewed by Sujei Lugo and Lila Quintero Weaver
Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit
Book Author: Javaka Steptoe
Radiant Child is a heartfelt and vibrant picture book about the childhood and life of Puerto Rican-Haitian American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Written for young children, it celebrates Basquiat’s art and traces the early steps of his artistic formation, as he makes his way toward the pinnacle of fame. From boyhood, he begins developing his own “messy” style of art-making, one that evokes powerful personal emotions, while addressing the sound and fury of social and cultural politics. Javaka Steptoe received the 2017 Caldecott Medal for his work as the book’s illustrator, a fitting recognition of the dynamic and engaging art seen in these pages. Continue reading.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
on November 8th 2016
Genres: Art, Latinx
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Grades 1-2, Grade K
ISBN: 9780316394321
Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit
Buy at Powell's Books
Publisher's synopsis: Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message that art doesn't always have to be neat or clean--and definitely not inside the lines--to be beautiful. Winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
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