# 33- José! Born to Dance (2005)

José! Born to Dance (2005)

Susanna Reich

Illustrated by Raúl Colón

Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award

This biography of Mexican dancer José Limón tells a story of one creative artist’s quest to find his passion. What I most enjoy about the story is how José practices and develops many different talents in his life, such as drawing and playing the piano, before he finds his passion for dance.

José grows up during the civil war in México and after his family is forced to hide in the cellar for three days and three nights, they immigrate to the U.S. He grows up dreaming about being an artist an “is famous for his pictures of trains” among his siblings.

As a young adult, José grieves the death of his mother, works in a factory, and dreams of living in New York someday. When he moves there and takes a job as a janitor, however, José becomes discouraged by the works of art he sees in museums and grows lonely. It is when a friend invites him to see dancers that he finds his true passion and “became what he was born to be.”

Colón’s textured paintings feature images that give the reader a sense of being enclosed with his use of lines. In the background of the illustrations that alternate from verso to recto, the round shapes of José and other characters are always framed by photograph frames, a blackboard, and several doors, walls and windows. The somber colors in most of the book portray the main character’s times of suffering, and color enters when José finds joy in his creative endeavors.

The endpages include a historical note about Limón, as well as a bibliography. Teachers and students may enjoy using some of these resources to compare the narrative story with facts and discuss the author and illustrator’s interpretations.

# 29- Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A story of the Young Jimi Hendrix (2010)

Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A story of the Young Jimi Hendrix (2010)

by Gary Golio

Illustrations by Javaka Steptoe

In this biography about the childhood of Jimmy Hendrix, Javaka Steptoe features several closeups that portray the astute musical personality of the artist. In the endpages of the book, Steptoe explains how he got to know Jimmy. “You have to do things they did, see the things they saw,” he relates, telling readers how he visited the elementary school the musician attended and picked up an electric guitar.

Steptoe used acrylic on plywood and created a collage to capture the sound, vibrations, look and feel of the guitars. Each spread in the book is a full page bleed rich with sounds and colors that elaborate on the details offered by Golio in the text. Some of these spreads are vertical, giving the reader a sense of Jimi’s ever-changing life and how he “moved around a lot.”

“The sounds of life were calling out, and Jimmy Hendrix wanted to answer them,” Golio narrates, pointing out the everyday sounds that Jimmy heard as music and imitated in a variety of ways. The author also points out Jimmy’s musical inspiration, such as gospel, jazz, blues, and Muddy Waters. Readers will want to listen Hendrix’s music, as well as to these influential styles and artists to gain a better sense of the artist’s experiences.

The endpages of the book feature additional information about Jimi, as well as insights into the creative processes of both author and illustrator.

# 6- Magic Trash, A Story of Tyree Guyton & His Art (2011)

Magic Trash, A Story of Tyree Guyton & His Art (2011)

J.H. Shapiro

Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

This book brings to mind the phrase “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” telling the story of Tyree Garden, a painter and sculptor who used trash and color to create art.

Brantley-Newton uses mixed media to illustrate Guyton’s biography. The coollages include text in the framework of buildings, cutouts of brand names and images, keys, buttons, bottle caps, and other realia. Like Guyton, the artist has “zapped fun into amazing junk that others tossed away.”

The narrative in this story has the potential to inspire students to continue developing their talent throughout their lives. Tyree experiences shifting neighborhoods, riots, as well as taking on many forms of employment (soldier, car part inspector, firefighter). Though his parents warn him that being an artist is “not a job,” Tyree persists and decorates his street as an adult. The endpages feature actual photographs of the polka dotted house in the illustrations alongside a picture of the artist.