Please welcome my guest author today, Elisa Boxer, with her list of children’s book biographies about unconventional and inspirational artists! Her book on the installment artist couple, Christo and Jeanne-Claude releases August 16, 2022. We have created a list of 11 Children’s Books about Unconventional, Inspirational Artists.
Covered in Color: Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Fabrics of Freedom by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Susanna Chapman
Together, Christo and Jeanne-Claude made elaborate, visually stunning installations that transformed public spaces around the world, all free to the public. Christo never explained why he felt compelled to wrap things in fabric—rather, his work celebrated individual interpretation and the simple joy of seeing something familiar in a new way. And though each work was temporary, their awe-inspiring designs, uniting nature with the manmade, stayed with viewers long afterward. Covered in Color inspires readers to appreciate the beauty around us, however fleeting, and to push the boundaries of “possible.” [picture book, ages 4 and up]
p.s. One more:
On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art Is Changing the Tide by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Catia Chien
“In 2020, at a time when worldwide refugee numbers reached their highest numbers since World War II, the United States admitted the lowest number of refugees in forty years. It is hard to believe that not long ago, the United States used to admit more refugees than all other countries combined.”
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist who lives on the tip of a wave, a precarious point that faces constant danger. Still, he uses his art as a platform to raise awareness of the global refugee humanitarian crisis caused by war and poverty. Joanna Ho eloquently tells his story in lyrical prose. The illustrations highlight Ai Weiwei’s powerful lifejacket installation by using the color orange as a visual theme. [picture book biography, ages 4 and up]
p.p.s. Related posts:
Picture Books About Strong, Independent Female Artists
10 Diverse Picture Books on Fine Artists!
Top 10: Best Books for Young Artists (ages 2-18)
Celebrating Photographers in Picture Books
Learning to See Art Books for Your Budding Artist
Visiting Artist Victor Hugo Zayas
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I’m so happy to be joining you to chat about these unconventional, inspirational artists, Mia! Especially with school budget cuts to art programs these days, it’s more important than ever to give young readers examples of artists whose creativity could not be contained. The more I dug into the lives and backgrounds of Christo and Jeanne-Claude for my book Covered in Color, the more I became inspired by their spirit of determination and their desire to do what everyone was telling them could never be done. In addition to leaving the world with glorious, memorable public displays of art, Christo and Jeanne-Claude also left behind a legacy of overcoming obstacles and turning hardship into hope.
12 Children’s Books about Unconventional, Inspirational Artists
One of the themes in Covered in Color is turning darkness into light. That’s also a theme in The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse, written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Hadley Hooper.
The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Hadley Hooper
As the book unfolds, you literally see gray pages slowly filling with color, symbolizing Matisse’s blossoming creativity. One of my favorite spreads of this book shows Matisse as a little boy, raising pigeons, noticing their iridescence, and foreshadowing his future as a painter who followed the light of his own emotions, rather than convention. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Another artist whose life served as an example of following your dreams was Jean-Michel Basquiat. He was a young graffiti artist who struggled with grief and made art in the most unconventional ways. His story is told in the picture book biography Radiant Child, by author/illustrator Javaka Steptoe.
Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe
The book itself is a work of art. It features poetic text, and pages full of vibrant, detailed collages. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
Collages of a completely different kind are featured in the book Washed Ashore: Making Art From Ocean Plastic, by Kelly Crull.
Washed Ashore: Making Art From Ocean Plastic by Kelly Crull
It’s a book for ages 6-10, and highlights a traveling exhibit of giant sculptures made entirely out of beach garbage! Not only does this book feature fascinating photographs that draw attention to the pervasive problem of ocean pollution, but it has also prompted children across the country to take action in their communities to help save marine life. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
Continuing the themes of trash-to-treasure and communities coming together is the book Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art, by J.H. Shapiro, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.
Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art by J.H. Shapiro, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
This picture book biography tells the story of a boy who saw the potential for beautiful art, where others saw only a dirty, run-down neighborhood. This book will inspire young readers to not only consider art as a form of healing but also as a way to bring color and vitality to life’s dark spaces. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
Rounding out this list of unconventional, inspirational artists is another picture book biography about someone who overcame tremendous hardship and found healing through his art: Horace Pippin. He’s the subject of A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
When tragedy strikes during World War One, Horace Pippin loses the ability to do what he loves. But he doesn’t give up. Instead, he shows the world what can happen when raw talent combines with a creative spirit and a will to overcome seemingly impossible odds.
Elisa Boxer is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist whose work has been featured in publications including The New York Times and Fast Company. She has reported for newspapers, magazines, and TV stations, and has a passion for telling stories about people finding the courage to create change. She is the author of The Voice That Won the Vote, A Seat at the Table, One Turtle’s Last Straw, SPLASH! and Covered in Color, which Kirkus recently called “compelling from cover to cover” in a starred review. Elisa lives in Maine and has several more books on the way. Visit her on her website, Twitter @eboxer, Instagram @boxerelisa, and Facebook at Elisa Boxer, journalist & author.
p.p.s. Here are a few more:
Santiago Saw Things Differently: Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Artist, Doctor, Father of Neuroscience by Christine Iverson, illustrated by Luciano Lozano
In 1888, Santiago discovered the neuron and how it worked to transmit information to cells using electrical or chemical signals. His observations were due to his skill as an artist, a talent that his father and teachers forbade. He studied medicine, the field that his father approved of. With his sketchbook and pencil, Santiago used a microscope to unveil the mysteries of the brain, drawing the neuron network and finding the patterns to unlock how it worked. His thousands of scientific drawings are credited with birthing the study of neuroscience. He won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1906. [picture book biography, ages 5 and up]
I’m Gonna Paint! Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People by Anne Broyles, illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Review by A Kid’s Book A Day:
“A fascinating, well-written introduction to the life of an artist who captured many important moments from American history, with illustrations that perfectly reflect Ralph’s style. This would pair nicely with Cynthia Levinson’s The People’s Painter, about Ralph’s contemporary Ben Shahn.” [picture book biography, ages 4 and up]
The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art by Cynthia Levinson and Evan Turk
“The People’s Painter is a lyrically told, exquisitely illustrated picture book biography of influential Jewish artist and activist Ben Shahn.” [picture book biography, ages 4 and up]
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We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
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Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
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- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
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- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
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Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
