Javaka Steptoe

I’ve been a fan of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work for a while now, but disappointingly, our library only has one book about him - this slim volume meant to be an introduction to the artist that is written for children. Thankfully, it’s a decently written book that does provide what it promises: a short and sweet introduction to the life of Basquiat, meant to inspire young readers to see art everywhere in the world around them. The author/artist, Javaka Steptoe, ironically doesn’t use show more Basquiat’s work to illustrate the book, as one would expect, and instead uses Basquiat’s artistic tradition of using found objects to inspire the illustrations. This direct approach has him gathering materials from throughout his New York neigbourhoods to create busy collages that speak to not only Basquiat’s practise but to the art that is the city of New York itself - resulting in a messy, yet whimsically realistic, imagery that is instantly appealing to children who would be familiar with similarly mad-cap creations from their own artwork and crafting creations. He seems to be asking throughout the book “is this art?” and the answer is an unfailing “yes” from readers whose eyes become more open at the turn of each page to seeing the small pieces of beauty and strangeness in the world. We might not have gotten Basquiat himself here, per se, but instead we still got a whole lot of artistic inspiration! show less

I really liked this book because of the compilation and selection of poems that reflect the importance of a fatherly role in a child’s life especially in the African American community. The illustrator, Javaka Steptoe, used a plethora of materials and tools to create the illustrations which made a huge difference to how the pages captivated the reader. For example, in Granddaddy is My Daddy Too, Steptoe used real painted fish to capture the fisherman aspect from the poem. The illustrations show more are not the traditional, colored in the lines, type of drawings or paintings, but rather, it is an expression of art form that ties into the poem in a deeper sense. It’s odd looking and pops up out of the page a bit which intrigues the readers to dig deeper into the story and what they can observe and see. The texture on each page is different. I also liked the theme that was consistently represented throughout this collection of poems. African American fathers are often misrepresented in our society; this book highlights the different aspects of a father’s role that a young black child may see. This book stands out among all the media and negativity surrounding black fathers who are typically portrayed as the ones abandoning the family or who are incarcerated. Each poem touches parts of a father, like his ability to bring freedom and joy (in daddy’s arms), his gentle loving care for his wife (her daddy’s hands), the hard labor he has to endure to raise the family (The Farmer), or simply being the strong, unconditional loving figure that all children need (Promises). I also liked how all of these poems were written in the perspective of a child because it speaks volumes of what a child may perceive while they observe the world around them. It really captures the innocence and dependency of a child on their father, and how the fathers are there to pick them up when they need it. Many of the poems are like a dialogue from the child to the father; it shares their inner voices about how they viewed the world through their father’s examples, “I have looked into my father’s eyes and seen an African sunset” (Sonia Sanchez, My Father’s Eyes). The main idea of the book was that fathers set a precedent in a child’s life; they follow in their footsteps, and become the inspiration that the children look up to. show less

Stunning. Poetry in several different formats and lengths, and artwork that is more like what you'd see in a museum than what you'd expect in a picture book. But also accessible and engaging, even if you're not a black child....

The vibrant colors are as poetic as the language. I love how Steptoe used found materials for the art (as Basquiat did), going so far as to dig through Brooklyn dumpsters. There is an afterword with more about Basquiat's life, the symbolism in his art, and a note from the author/illustrator, whose mother, like Basquiat's, suffered from mental illness. I've always believed picture books were suitable for all ages, and I am definitely going to share this one with older students.