  | My hands sing the blues : Romare Bearden's childhood journey Author: Harvey, Jeanne Walker | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
An artist follows the rhythms of blues music as he recalls his North Carolina childhood while making art.
| Illustrator: | Zunon, Elizabeth |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 3.60 Points: .5 Quiz: 146678 |
Common Core Standards
Grade K → Reading → RL Literature → K.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade K → Reading → RL Literature → K.RL Craft & Structure
Grade K → Reading → RL Literature → K.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (08/15/11)
School Library Journal (10/01/11)
Booklist (11/01/11)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 10/01/2011 Gr 2–5—Bearden was one of the great artists who came out of the remarkably fertile Harlem Renaissance. His collages invoked many images that represented the struggle of African Americans as they sought to live productive lives after generations of repression and bondage. Inspired by his painting Watching the Good Trains Go By, this homage to the artist incorporates his love of the blues and jazz and takes the shape of a standard blues song with its repetition and varying rhythms. It tells the story of Bearden's childhood and how his experiences ultimately shaped his art. Practicing it as a read-aloud is a must to ensure conveying the flow of the "song" to the audience. The accompanying artwork is beautifully done in oil paint and mixed-media collage and will introduce the medium to those children not already acquainted with it. Seeing how a story can be told through bits and pieces of paper or fabric that are cut and glued together is a wonderful message sure to inspire budding artists. Pair this book with Claire Hartfield's Me and Uncle Romie: A Story Inspired by the Life and Art of Romare Bearden (Dial, 2002) to fill out the artist's life story. A great addition to an existing collection of art books and certainly to the books for children on Bearden.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 11/01/2011 Bearden called his art “visual jazz,” and this handsome, fictionalized picture-book biography stays true to his rich connections to blues rhythms. With well-chosen quotes (all documented in appended notes), the rhyming first-person narrative in Bearden’s voice remembers the people and places of his childhood roots, and his memory “whirls back” to his growing up in the rural South and then his train journey north to Harlem. Echoing Bearden’s distinctive style, the richly textured collage art combines original paintings with paper, fabrics, and photos to show Bearden as a small boy watching trains pass until he and his parents get on a train themselves, and he sees the world whizzing past: “A patchwork quilt of greens and gold.” The moving climax shows and tells Bearden’s approach to work, blending his roots with improvisation: “When I put a beat of color on an empty canvas, / I never know what’s coming down the track.” A lively introduction to the artist for young children and for older readers, too. - Copyright 2011 Booklist.
