The Artivist
By Diondra K. Brown,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Exceptional illustrations inspire children to be activists.
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What's the Story?
THE ARTIVIST is about a young boy who combines his natural talent for creating art, with his love of helping his community and spreading goodness in the world. He observes the world around him and sees hurt, pain, and problems that are almost too big to fix. The little boy takes action by creating a mural to inspire hope for the community he wants to see. When the mural unexpectedly goes viral, he sparks empathy and compassion in others, and they work together to create the world they all deserve. Despite facing scary situations, the boy spreads his desire for change around the planet, while helping those in need and seeking justice along the way.
Is It Any Good?
This stunning picture book offers young children and adults a special opportunity to engage in a meaningful reading experience around important social justice issues. The Artivist is brought to life by Nikkolas Smith's remarkable work as both an author and an artist. The painted illustrations gently push gentrification, environmental negligence, and social injustice to the fore, in a way young readers can understand.
The character strengths of compassion, empathy, and courage make the young African American boy, who serves as the main character of the story, a very positive role model. Readers, young and old alike, can see themselves among the diverse characters in the book. Everyone will be inspired to use their own talents to work for change in the world around them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how in The Artivist the main character observes things that are not fair in the world around him. What do you notice that's not fair in your life? Why is it important to talk about things that aren't fair?
The main character has compassion and empathy for others, as well as the courage to create meaningful change in the world. Why are these qualities important?
Practice being an "artivist." Draw or paint a picture with a positive message about change you want to see in world.
Book Details
- Author: Nikkolas Smith
- Illustrator: Nikkolas Smith
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Activism , Great Boy Role Models
- Character Strengths: Compassion , Courage , Empathy
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Kokila
- Publication date: September 5, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: September 23, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
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