Charles & Ray: Designers at Play: A Story of Charles and Ray Eames

by James Yang, James Yang (Illustrator)

Overview

A playful introduction to the designs of Charles and Ray Eames by Geisel-winning creator James Yang.

Charles was an architect. Ray was a painter. Together they made the perfect team. By using structure, shape, and color, they knew they could transform anything. And because they saw problem-solving as an adventure, they were able to incorporate playfulness into everything they designed.

Geisel Award-winning author and illustrator James Yang has created an exuberant story about Charles and Ray Eames, two of the most iconic designers of the Mid-century modern design movement, which will inspire readers to dream up new ways to see the world around them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593404829
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/21/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.75(w) x 11.25(h) x 0.36(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

James Yang is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed picture books, including A Boy Named Isamu which won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor and Stop! Bot! which won the Theodor Geisel Award. His work has appeared in publications like Graphis, Newsweek, Forbes, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. You might have seen some of his art in many of New York City's subway cars! He lives in Brooklyn.

You can visit him at JamesYang.com or follow him on Instagram @YangBlog.

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2024

Yang draws subjects Charles (1907–1978) and Ray Eames (1912–1988), titans of modern design, as intensely observant, doll-like figures, while also capturing the sense of problem-solving that drove their creativity. After noting an early success designing splints for soldiers out of bent plywood, the bulk of the book is devoted to the duo’s creating a chair “that looks like it was born to be a chair.” Though the “impossible puzzle” of a process, the couple eventually realizes that their work on the splint can be applied to making what would be called “the best chair of the twentieth century.” Young readers may not have the context to recognize how beautifully Yang tips his hat to mid-century-modern design, but they will come away with a sense of how exhilarating it can be to make something new—and with whetted appetites for discovering more. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Covering an art style seldom found in books for this age group, award-winning Yang’s latest will be a welcome addition where art and design books are popular." —Booklist

"Young readers may not have the context to recognize how beautifully Yang tips his hat to mid-century-modern design, but they will come away with a sense of how exhilarating it can be to make something new—and with whetted appetites for discovering more." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher