Jacob Lawrence in the City

by Susan Goldman Rubin

Overview

Busy city! Beep, beep, beep!

Jacob Lawrence's exuberant artwork guides readers through a bustling city, complete with builders rat-a-tatting and children playing in the streets. With rhythmic text and 11 iconic paintings, this book is both an introduction to an influential artist and a celebration of city life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811865821
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	04/08/2009
Series:	Mini Masters Modern Series
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 4 Years

About the Author

Susan Goldman Rubin grew up in the Bronx and dreamed of becoming an artist. As a young woman, she studied painting and drawing and began to show her work in galleries. Now she lives in Malibu, California, where she writes and teaches writing, and continues to paint.

Editorial Reviews

A child's voice narrates a sequence of ten paintings by the great African-American artist, with an emphasis on rhythm and onomatopoeia. There's merit to introducing fine art to very young children, but it's unlikely that this or its companion, Magritte's Imagination (978-0-8118-6583-8), is the best vehicle. The small trim (6 1/8 X 5 3/16) forces Lawrence's large canvases into disappointingly cramped frames, in which his expressive and emotional compositions lose power and his figures distinction. This makes for an overbusy presentation that is further overwhelmed by the bold typeface and design-heavy frames and backgrounds. Templar/Candlewick's Art for Baby (2009) is a far better choice, inasmuch as it is specifically keyed to babies' neural development. (18-36 mos.)

Kirkus Reviews