Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz

This biography is one of my favorites. It begins with a note from author Gherman, who shares that her own interest in the Peanuts comic strip sparked an interest in the man behind the beloved Charlie Brown. The table of contents appears in bubble format, and each page in the text is a different color and has different colored words on it. Sparky is like a pseudo graphic novel; each chapter contains strips from Peanuts and other of Schutlz's comics. Reading his biography gave insight into how he named and characterized the beloved Peanuts game. His own nickname in the Army, Charlie, became the basis for Charlie Brown. Before losing her battle with cervical cancer, his mother suggested getting another beagle and naming it Snoopy. Lucy's show more personality mirrored that of his first wife's.

If I were going to teach nonfiction strictly from the standpoint of biography or autobiography, I would use this text as the central one. It is thorough without being tedious, and I know students would be interested in the book because as I read this during our SSR time, I had a few ask me why I was reading a picture book and if they could borrow it. I think interesting conversations could happen about author's choice (colored pages, colored text, use of Schultz's drawings) to make students think about the importance of writing decisions. show less

Little Kid Reaction: My daughter picked this as a biography project for school (third grade). She knew about Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang, but she was fascinated by all of the other things that she learned. Every couple pages she would stop to read us a paragraph or tell us about something that piqued her interest.

Big Kid Reaction: After my daughter finished reading, I read the book. The layout is very "Shulz-ish," with speech bubbles and bright colors (Charlie Brown yellow). I also loved that it didn't idealize either Shulz' craft or his life. Instead it showed how he drew on the tough times as positives for telling a story in just a few panels.

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This biography of the life and adventures of Charles Schulz was one of the most entertaining and inviting stories for all readers. With captivating illustrations and very plain English, the authors and illustrators. The way that the story and the author uses the life of Charles to tell a story and bring the comic characters to life is beautiful and compelling.

WOnderfully told biography of one of the most influential and talented cartoonists of the 20th century. Charles Schultz

Great biography of Charles Schulz, including how he got started and his shy reaction to fame.

A colorful biography of one of the most successful and best-known American cartoonists! Charles Schulz was born in 1922 and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota during the Great Depression. He was always doodling and drawing, and ended up taking art school correspondence courses (he got his assignments in the mail and then mailed in his finished work). He graduated from art school six days before Pearl Harbor was bombed, and he was drafted into the Army months later. Before he shipped out to Europe, he saw his very ill mother for the last time before she passed away. One of her last requests was that he name their next dog... Snoopy. He was a good soldier, and earned promotions and a medal for excellence in combat. When he arrived home, he show more found a variety of jobs that kept him busy until he was able to sell his first comic strip to the United Features Syndicate in New York. It was called "Lil' Folks" -- but the editors renamed it "Peanuts." That was the beginning of more than 50 years of comic strips! Not all of his life was as successful, though, and this book doesn't skip those parts of his story. Charles Schulz knew heartbreak and sadness, and was worried that people wouldn't like his work... even after he had won awards. The lessons he learned became the lines for his Peanuts characters, and newspaper readers all over discovered their own problems and laughs in the world he created. I especially liked the larger size font and colored pages, and how the designer alternated pages of text with pictures and cartoons. 4th-8th grade. show less

Quick read for anyone interested in the life of the cartoonist behind the Peanuts comic strip Charles Schulz aka Sparky. I grew up reading all about Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang; this biography was perfect for learning all about Sparky himself as it includes family photos and rare strips based on the beloved characters.