The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo
…incandescent…[Basquiat] left a vibrant legacy that Steptoe, painting and collaging on salvaged wood pieces from Basquiat's own hunting grounds, conveys to a new generation.
Publishers Weekly
★ 08/08/2016
In this visually arresting and vibrantly narrated biography, Steptoe (In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall) charts the childhood of incandescent, ill-fated artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988). Although the book includes no work by Basquiat himself, Steptoe emulates 1980s street art by layering paint, paper scraps, paint tubes, and photos on found-wood panels. The artist, Steptoe writes, learned to see art in the “messy patchwork of the city,” the “street games of little children,” and the “terrible blues” of growing up. Basquiat’s early influences include his Puerto Rican mother, Matilde, who encourages him with museum visits and with the textbook Gray’s Anatomy. Poetry and his Haitian father’s jazz records fuel his imagination, too: “His drawings are not neat or clean, nor does he color inside the lines.” Basquiat’s radiance was suffused with trauma, and Steptoe alludes to Matilde’s mental illness and Basquiat’s teenage strife (“His mother’s mind is not well, and the family breaks”). Passing references to Warhol, Haring, graffiti, and Basquiat’s heroin overdose appear in the afterword: “Basquiat lived an exhilarating life, but... he struggled with a drug addiction until his death.” Overall, Steptoe focuses on Basquiat’s meteoric rise, and readers see the artist smiling as he walks on the gritty Lower East Side. Collaged photographs picture a crowded gallery, and Steptoe concludes in the present tense: “He is now a famous artist!” Steptoe downplays tragic elements, instead celebrating Basquiat’s irreverence and brilliance. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Radiant Child:
Winner of the 2017 Randolph Caldecott Medal
An IndieBound Bestseller
Winner of the 2017 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Essence Magazine Top Ten Books of the Year
NAACP Image Awards Nomination for Outstanding Literary Work in Children
Bank Street College of Education 2017 Best Children's Book of the Year
NPR Best Books of 2016
Washington Post Best Books of 2016
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016
School Library Journal Best Books of 2016
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2016
Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of 2016
New York Public Library 2016 Best Books for Kids
Chicago Public Library 2016 Best Books for Kids
ALA Notable Book for Children
A CCBC Best of Year Choice
A Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2017 Selection
Horn Book 2017 Summer Reading Choice
Amazon Best Book of November 2016
*"Vibrant colors and personal symbols channel the 'sloppy, ugly, and sometimes weird, but somehow still BEAUTIFUL' paintings, incorporating meticulously attributed collage elements and capturing the artist's energy and mystery. Stellar bookmarking—a riveting portrait of a young artist."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*"In this visually arresting and vibrantly narrated biography, Steptoe...emulates 1980s street art by layering paint, paper scraps, paint tubes, and photos on found-wood panels.... Steptoe downplays tragic elements, instead celebrating Basquiat's irreverance and brilliance."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
*"Javaka Steptoe is the perfect person to create this book: a tour de force that will introduce an important artist to a new generation."—The Horn Book (starred review)
*"One extraordinary artist illuminates another in this textured, heartfelt picture book biography.... Pairing simple text with expressive, encompassing illustrations, this excellent title offers a new generation a fittingly powerful introduction to an artistic luminary."—School Library Journal (starred review)
* "This is a beautifully illustrated biography...[and] an excellent read aloud, especially in the art classroom."—School Library Connection (starred review)
* "A lively, engaging introduction to a one-of-a-kind artist perfect for art-loving kids.... An excellent read-aloud."—Booklist, starred review
"Vibrantly colored, humming with energy, Javaka Steptoe's paintings evoke the style of Jean-Michel Basquiat."—Virginian-Pilot
"Steptoe tells a complex story in simple child-appropriate language and illustrates it with paintings brimming with joy, sorrow and outsized inspiration."—Chicago Tribune
"Art need not be neat to be beautiful, a message underscored by this boldly beautiful bio of a 1980s phenom."—San Francisco Tribune
School Library Journal
02/01/2017
Gr 1–5—A visually stunning picture book biography about modern art phenomenon Jean-Michel Basquiat. Coretta Scott King Award—winner Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork reflect the Haitian Puerto Rican artist's collage-style paintings that rocketed him to fame in the 1980s. Back matter and an introduction to symbolism in Basquiat's work help readers appreciate the layers of Black identity and Yoruba influences at play in Steptoe's illustrations.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2016-07-20
Steptoe chronicles the formative years and evolving style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Brooklyn-born graffiti artist with a rising career in the 1980s fine arts world; coverage ceases before his untimely drug-related death at age 27.Steptoe’s canvas is wood salvaged from the Brooklyn Museum and locales that Basquiat frequented. Spaces between the patched fragments contribute to the impression of a disjointed childhood. Steptoe shows that Basquiat was smart and driven early on, influenced by his Haitian father’s jazz records and his Puerto Rican mother’s style, encouragement, breakdown, and institutionalization when he was only 7. Prior to that, she drew with him, took him to see Picasso’s Guernica, and gave him Grey’s Anatomy following a serious car accident. Images of body parts imprint his increasingly complex political paintings, along with other recurring motifs explained in outstanding backmatter. Several sentences per spread speak with understated lyricism and poignancy, an occasional internal rhyme underscoring a point: “Jean-Michel is confused and filled with a terrible blues / when Matilde can no longer live at home.” Acknowledging his multifaceted sense of connection, Steptoe interprets Basquiat’s style instead of inserting particular works. Vibrant colors and personal symbols channel the “sloppy, ugly, and sometimes weird, but somehow still BEAUTIFUL” paintings, incorporating meticulously attributed collage elements and capturing the artist’s energy and mystery. Stellar bookmaking—a riveting portrait of a young artist. (author’s note, bibliography, biography) (Picture book/biography. 6-12)
