A Splash of Red
Written by: Jen Bryant; Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Alfred A. Knopf (An imprint of Random House)
Review copy obtained from the District of Columbia Public Library.
By: Michelle Markel; Illustrated by: Melissa Sweet
Balzer and Bray (An imprint of Harper Collins)
Review copy obtained from the District of Columbia Public Library.
On a Melissa Sweet project, you're guaranteed artwork that begs to be poured over. Case and point, in Balloons Over Broadway, she began by crafting her own toys and layering them onto the page. This year Melissa has been busy, publishing two more picture book biographies. One about Clara Lemlich, the catalyst for the garment workers' strike of 1909. The other, about american impressionist, Horace Pippin.
I'll start with A Splash of Red, a collaboration with Caldecott Honor pal, Jen Bryant. Bryant traces the story of a blossoming artist after Pippin won a set of paints and colored pencils for his entry into a drawing contest. Unfortunately, Horace put both school and his art on hold to support his family once his father left for good. But his love for drawing what he saw couldn't be easily abandoned. Even after losing motion in his right arm during his time in the trenches, Horace retaught himself to draw using a piece of wood and the poker from the fire. Sweet, a master of layering thematic story elements into her art, drops hints at this pivotal event by accentuating wooden borders, crates, and trees throughout the book. Not only will you find fascinating bits about the ascetics (carving the colored pencils Horace received out of basswood), Sweet's illustrator's note extends the readers' understanding of the information. A subtle painting of a lion and lamb on the book's title page could easily go unnoticed until she reveals that Horace Pippin used the supplies he won as a child to draw bible scenes. While kids have the tendency to skip over the backmatter, Sweet makes it a destination.
Sweet's work always shines. In A Splash of Red, however, Jen Bryant's words go far beyond telling the story of a man who drew what he saw. Bryant creates an emotional tension that was utterly captivating. The purity of a young artist trying to capture a wide and beautiful world strikes a universal chord. Even when that loss of innocence must be traded for the responsibilities of family and war, it's presented simply, in a kid-centric manner. Whether adult or child, there is nothing that rattles us to the core like the death of a dream. Pippin's perseverance in teaching himself to regain that childhood love of art kept the audience cheering him on. In a conclusion that see's Horace Pippin achieve acclaimed recognition, the resolution is achingly satisfying.
Brave Girl has some tremendous highlights, most notably the two-page spread that drew attention to the factory's deplorable conditions. Markel highlights the perception of women during the time period, expertly outraging her audience while simultaneously contrasting it with Clara's grit. Defying everyone from the factory owners, to organized labor leaders, to the police; Markel exemplifies that, "...warriors can wear skirts and blouses, and the bravest hearts may beat in girls..."
While I'd rank Clara Lemlich's story as the more significant one in terms of American history, the text depicting Horace Pippin's life felt like the more contained work. Brave Girl left me questioning whether more context could have been provided without detracting from the narrative in the body. Markel presents the inability for Clara's father to find work while a girl of twelve can. The idea of union labor organizations is central to the conflict but could more about their importance have been provided? There's a delicate balance between providing contextual information without overwhelming the central story line, but the end notes would have been a good place to pick up on those points. Space in a 32 page book is limited but A Splash of Red utilizes both the end papers and the author's/illustrator's notes to pack in additional meaning. That being said, my audience of fourth-graders found Clara's story utterly compelling. While it raised awareness for some, I could have easily handed off a more in-depth text to others.
It seems to me that the role of the picture book biography is still being defined. Both stories Clara Lemlich and Horace Pippin deserve a prominent place on any bookshelf. A Splash of Red, in particular, was yet another reminder that we're watching a golden age in literature for young people unfold right in front of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment