Kid Artists: True Tales of Childhood From Creative Legends

by David Stabler Narrated by Pete Cross

Overview

Every great artist started out as a kid. Forget the awards, the sold-out museum exhibitions, and the timeless masterpieces. When the world's most celebrated artists were growing up, they had regular-kid problems just like you. Jackson Pollock's family moved constantly — he lived in eight different cities before he was 16 years old. Georgia O'Keeffe lived in the shadow of her “perfect” older brother Francis. And Jean-Michel Basquiat triumphed over poverty to become one of the world's most influential artists.

Kid Artists tells their stories and more. Other subjects include Claude Monet, Jacob Lawrence, Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Beatrix Potter, Yoko Ono, Dr. Seuss, Emily Carr, Keith Haring, Charles Schulz, and Louise Nevelson.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/16/2016
Stabler recounts the early lives of more than a dozen artists including Andy Warhol, Beatrix Potter, Yoko Ono, Keith Haring, and Vincent van Gogh in this companion to Kid Presidents and Kid Athletes. Throughout, he draws loose connections between the subjects’ childhood experiences, whether positive or negative, and their artistic development. Ted Geisel “warned about the dangers of discrimination” in books like The Sneetches in part because of anti-German prejudice he faced during WWII; Frida Kahlo’s time spent recovering from illness and injury led her to begin creating self-portraits. Memorably weird childhood moments—Jackson Pollock accidentally had part of a finger chopped off and then eaten by a rooster—are likely to stick with readers, as will Horner’s impish cartoons. Ages 9–12. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

Impressively diverse.”—Booklist

“For budding artists, here’s a heartening reminder that 17 unconventional greats—not to mention all the rest—started out as children too.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“Memorably weird childhood moments—Jackson Pollock accidentally had part of a finger chopped off and then eaten by a rooster—are likely to stick with readers, as will Horner’s impish cartoons.”—Publishers Weekly

“Large type and funny color illustrations make this and other books in this series a hit with kids.”—Baltimore Sun

“An interesting, attention-holding collection of mini-biographies that any 7-to-14-year-old can enjoy for fun or for a school project.”—Cape Cod Times

“As an upper elementary school teacher, it’s hard to find interesting and well-written non-fiction texts for kids ages 8-12…. That’s why I get SO very excited when I discover a non fiction book that is not only interesting and well-written, but perfect for this age group. Kid Artists: True Tales of Childhood From Creative Legends is one of these books.”—The Caterpillar Corner

Praise for Kid Presidents:
“Just like history class, only hilarious.”—Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever
 
“With cartoonish illustrations that will attract fans of Jeff Kinney’s The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Rachel Renée Russell’s The Dork Diaries, this informative offering leaves no presidential childhood rock unturned.”—School Library Journal
 
“Caricatures by Horner are whimsical and funny, a good match for a book that demonstrates that every president started life as a goofy, regular kid.”—Booklist

Praise for Kid Athletes:
“Outstanding...Inspiring and entertaining, Kid Athletes isn't just for sports fans.”—Booklist, starred review

“Even if you don’t exactly love sports, this book only says a little bit about them in the actual sport, so go out and get this book because it will teach you a lot and you will enjoy it immensely.”—Kidsday reporters, Newsday

“Perfect for the adolescent set, these inspiring stories mix fun and non-fiction.”—Geeks of Doom

Praise for Kid Authors:
“Lively glimpses of formative moments and budding talents.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A fun and useful addition, especially for aspiring writers and class projects.”—School Library Journal, Paige Rowse, Needham High School, MA

“This is an ideal gift for aspiring young writers who may need proof that even the most famous authors had to start somewhere.”—Shelf Awareness for Readers

“[Kid Authors] was full of real information, but the author made it fun and funny … I would recommend this book for all people who read books and want to know interesting information about authors, and also for people who want to be authors themselves.”—Michael, age 93

School Library Journal - Audio

09/01/2020

Gr 4–7—Famous adults have one thing in common—they were all kids struggling with many of the same problems as kids today: bullying, poverty, racism, sickness, hunger, and fractured families. The "Kid Legends Series" provides very relatable childhood anecdotes on a diverse selection of now famous people. Each title in the series includes a few well-known and well-documented legends, yet many lesser known (though equally as deserving) people are also highlighted through concise, biographical snippets. Kid Artists covers Emily Carr, Louise Nevelson, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Frida Kahlo. Kid Authors includes Sherman Alexie, Zora Neale Hurston, Stan Lee, and Jules Verne. Kid Scientists covers, among others, Vera Rubin, Rachel Carson, Temple Grandin, and Rosalind Franklin, while Kid Activists covers Iqbal Masih, Harvey Milk, Dolores Huerta, and Emma Watson. The humorous illustrations in print editions are notably absent, but the superb narration of Pete Cross secures readers attention in a learning-but-don't-know-it kind of way. VERDICT Each well-written title in the "Kid Legends Series" is authentic in its vision of inspiring young readers to not only shoot for the stars but to dream big and lasso a whole galaxy.—Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Sch. Dist., OH

Kirkus Reviews

2016-04-13
For budding artists, here's a heartening reminder that 17 unconventional greats—not to mention all the rest—started out as children too.The pseudonymous Stabler (Robert Schnakenberg in real life) adopts a liberal admissions policy for his latest gathering of anecdotal profiles (Kid Presidents, 2014, etc.). In a chapter on the influence of nature and wildlife on early artistic visions, Leonardo da Vinci and the young Vincent van Gogh rub shoulders with Beatrix Potter and Emily Carr; in another focusing on overcoming shyness or other personal, social, or economic obstacles, Jackson Pollock hangs out with Charles Schulz, Yoko Ono, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In a third chapter that highlights the importance of a supportive parent, teacher, or other cheerleader, fathers do for prodigious young Pablo Picasso and polio-stricken Frida Kahlo, his mother for Andy Warhol, art instructors for Jacob Lawrence and Keith Haring. The author owns an easy, readable style, and though he leaves out quite a lot—Diego Rivera goes unmentioned in the Kahlo entry, nor do van Gogh's suicide, Basquiat's heroin addiction, or anyone's sexual orientation come up—he's chosen his subjects with an eye toward diversity of background, upbringing, and, eventually, style and media. Horner lightens the overall tone further with cartoon vignettes of caricatured but recognizable figures.Noncanonical entries make this a natural companion or follow-up for Kathleen Krull's essential Lives of the Artists, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (1995). (bibliography) (Collective biography. 10-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173548726
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Series:	Kid Legends Series , #3
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Charles Schulz: The Shy Guy Long before he created Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang, Charles “Sparky” Schulz was just a quiet kid with a sketchpad who felt uncomfortable sharing his drawings with others. Only by overcoming his shyness could he make the leap from secret doodler to superstar cartoonist.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Kid Artists"
by .
Copyright © 2016 David Stabler.
Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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