Reviewed by Rebecca Lehr Review Source: Independent Book Author: It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw is a biographical children’s book about the African American folk artist who started drawing at the age of 81 and produced over 1,000 drawings and paintings by his death at the age of 95. It chronicles his life […]
Grandma’s Gift
Reviewed by Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In a category where such books are woefully rare, both of Velasquez’s Grandma stories represent positive images of Afro-Latino children and their families. Although the story in Grandma’s Gift takes place inside a few square miles of contemporary New York City, it also […]
Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide
Reviewed by Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK: “I see reality in another way with a camera. Looking through the lens, I peer into another world…” Born in Mexico City in 1942, Graciela Iturbide wants to be a writer, but her conservative family has a different idea. […]
The Harlem Charade
Reviewed by: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Review Source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Book Author: The rich past and present of Harlem is central to this lively, Balliett-esque mystery featuring three diverse young detectives. When Korean American Jin first pairs with African American Alex for a school assignment to explore some dimension of Harlem history, she’s […]
Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora de Arcoiris
Teaching Ideas Reviewed by Rebecca Lehr Review Source: Independent Book Author: Reviewer Rebecca Lehr is an art teacher at a bilingual elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. In a rural village in the Guatemalan Highlands, young Ixchel is anxious to learn the ancient art of weaving from her mother. Ixchel adores the vibrant colors and patterns of […]
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Reviewed by Sujei Lugo and Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: 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 […]
