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Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Jan Carr,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Exuberant bio celebrates artist who had success when young.
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Based on 1 parent review
Awesome!
What's the Story?
RADIANT CHILD: THE STORY OF YOUNG ARTIST JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT is the biography of the young New York-based artist who came to fame in the 1970s and '80s. Born to a Haitian dad and a mom of Puerto Rican heritage, Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn. His mom loved art and made sure her young son was exposed to museums, poetry, and theater and encouraged him to draw. Challenges arose when he was badly injured when hit by a car and, later, when his mom developed mental health issues and had to leave the family. But Basquiat stayed focused as an artist, and as a teen moved to the Lower East Side, then a gritty neighborhood teeming with excitement. He started out as a graffiti artist, and his work was quickly elevated to galleries and he became celebrated while still in his 20s. Text at the end of the book notes that he died when only 27.
Is It Any Good?
Much more than the story of a young artist, this excellent biography of Jean-Michel Basquiat is a celebration of art and a call for young people to be creative. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is a work of art itself and celebrates creativity in all its messy glory. It focuses on Basquiat's early influences and his laser focus on and devotion to his work, and it carries a strong emotional tug. Though the family wasn't well-off, it was rich in art, thanks to Basquiat's mom, who made sure her son had plenty of arts enrichment and lots of opportunity to draw. Author/illustrator Javaka Steptoe chooses just the right, accessible detail. In a small but poignant moment, the mom sits on the floor and "draws with Jean-Michel on his father's old work papers." So we feel Basquiat's heartbreaking loss when she has to leave the family.
Steptoe's illustrations, made of mixed media with found objects on wood, explode with color and detail and collage elements, underlining the message that art doesn't have to be neat or stay inside the lines to be beautiful. Steptoe explains that he did this to invite readers "to create using the materials, people, and places in their environment." The book feels like one big riotous creative explosion -- Basquiat's and Steptoe's for sure -- but the underlying message is that readers, too, can express themselves and create freely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the illustrations in Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. What materials did author-illustrator Javaka Steptoe use? How many can you identify?
Do you agree that art can be "sloppy, ugly, and sometimes weird, but somehow still beautiful"?
In the art, can you find pictures of the crowns Basquiat liked to draw? Can you find images of the body parts he learned when his mom gave him the anatomy book?
Book Details
- Author: Javaka Steptoe
- Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Arts and Dance , Great Boy Role Models
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: October 25, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 6 - 9
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Awards: Caldecott Medal and Honors , Coretta Scott King Medal and Honors
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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