Andy Warhol

Children's Literature

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1928 to poor Czechoslovakian immigrants, Andrew Warhola, who became known as Andy Warhol because of a misprint, help create what is called Pop Art. At the beginning of the book, a time line and "Fun Facts" follow a one-page summary of Warhol as an artist. These provide background and context for the brief biography that follows. Information about the artist's childhood, education, work as a commercial artist, and the influences that helped him create his style are presented in simple sentences. In "Artist's Corner" there is a brief explanation of photographic silkscreening and how Warhol employed this process to create his famous 32 Campbell's Soup Cans prints. Photographs of the artist and reproductions of some of his works add interest to each page. Succinct, interesting, and informative, this is part of the "Great Artists" series. A glossary, pronunciation guide, Web sites, and an index complete the book. 2005, ABDO Publishing, Ages 7 to 10.
—Sharon Salluzzo

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-These texts cover the lives of three 20th-century greats in a choppy and uninteresting manner. In addition, the poor quality of the reproductions and photographs is unacceptable in books intended to illustrate the work of artists. In Warhol, one illustration is not labeled and in Pollock, a photograph of an unidentified site is referenced as "farms and ranches in California and Arizona" where Pollock and his brothers "helped their father." Lawrence begins, "Jacob Lawrence was one of the first African-American artists to become popular with both white and black audiences." Later in the text the author notes, "Both black and white critics liked his work." It seems odd that the author would make these points only about the black artist. Libraries will want to reserve funds for books that present exciting and respectful approaches to artists such as Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan's Action Jackson (Millbrook, 2002) and John Duggleby's Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence (Chronicle, 1998). James Warhola's delightful picture book Uncle Andy's (Putnam, 2003) can be used to introduce that artist to children.-Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.