*Coretta Scott King Award winner Javaka Steptoe has created the first picture book biography about modern art phenomenon Jean-Michel Basquiat in Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (On sale now).
Basquiat
Jean-Michael Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980’s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. Before that, Basquiat was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books, and museums, in games, and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City.
Inspired by his life and artwork, Steptoe vividly creates both text and bold artwork that echoes Basquiat’s own. In Radiant Child, young readers will be introduced to the powerful message that art doesn’t always have to be neat or clean – and definitely not inside the lines, to be beautiful.
Javaka Steptoe is an award-winning artist, author, designer, and illustrator. His debut picture book, In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall, won the Coretta Scott King Award, and Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow (written by Gary Golio) received a Coretta Scott King Honor.
Steptoe has also illustrated Do You Know What I’ll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow, A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes, Amiri and Odette: A Love Story by Walter Dean Myers, Rain Play by Cynthia Cotten, and Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English, which received the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.
He is also the author and illustrator of The Jones Family Express. Please visit him online at www.javaka.com.
Seven Starred Reviews for Radiant Child:
* “Visually arresting and vibrantly narrated.” — Publishers Weekly starred review!
* “Stellar bookmaking – a riveting portrait of a young artist.” — Kirkus Reviews starred re-view!
* “A tour de force that will introduce an important artist to a new generation.” — The Horn Book starred review!
* “Offers a new generation a fittingly powerful introduction to an artistic luminary.” — School Journal starred review!
* “An excellent read aloud, especially in the art classroom.” — Book List starred review!
* “Young artists will find inspiration in Javaka Steptoe’s beautiful, energetic picture-book.” — Shelf Awareness starred review!
Voted Best of 2016:
* Essence (Best book children’s literature)
* The Washington Post New York Public Library (Best book for kids)
* Kirkus Review Publisher’s Weekly Amazon (Best children’s book November)
* School Library Journal – Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature
More Praise for Radiant Child
* “One of the most eye-catching book covers of the year. And, happily, the text and il-lustrations inside live up to the cover illustration.” — Brooklyn Eagle
* “Vibrantly colored, humming with energy, Steptoe’s paintings evoke the style of Jean-Miche Basquiat.” — Virginian-Pilot
* “Steptoe tells a complex story in simple child-appropriate language and illustrates it with paintings brimming with joy, sorrow and outsized inspiration.” — Chicago Tribune
* “Art need not be neat to be beautiful, a message underscored by this boldly beautiful bio of a 1980s phenom.” — San Francisco Chronicle
Book Deatails:
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Javaka Steptoe
Littles, Brown Books for Young Readers
October 25, 2016
Ages 4-8
Hardcover: $17.99
ISBN: 978-0-316-21388-2
Available for purchase at www.amazon.com/Radiant-Child-
source:
Saraciea Fennell
saraciea.Fennell@hbgusa.com
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
