Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, A Young Artist in Harlem
Hardcover
Price: $18.95
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- Publication Date: June 30, 2015
- Imprint: Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Trim Size: 9 x 11 3⁄4
- ISBN: 9780870709654
- Page Count: 44
- Illustrations: Color illustrations throughout
- Rights: North America
Jake Makes a World follows the creative adventures of the young Jacob Lawrence as he finds inspiration in the vibrant colors and characters of his community in Harlem. From his mother's apartment, where he is surrounded by brightly colored walls with intricate patterns; to the streets full of familiar and not-so-familiar faces, sounds, rhythms, and smells; to the art studio where he goes each day after school to transform his everyday world on an epic scale, Jake takes readers on an enchanting journey through the bustling sights and sounds of his neighborhood.
Includes a reproduction of an actual Migration series panel.
Praise
STARRED REVIEWBooklist —
“... illustrator Myers has captured the vibrant energy, bold hues, and expressionist shapes of Lawrence’s work. Rhodes-Pitts, meanwhile contributes colorful, energetic text... When an acclaimed author-illustrator team collaborate on a subject who is getting his due at a major museum, you're going to see heightened awareness and interest.”
"Vibrant hues and diagonal elements animate the straightforward accounts of street-corner preachers and checkers players... this is a dynamic and creative introduction to a groundbreaking artist and an iconic collection."Kirkus —
**STARRED REVIEW**School Library Journal —
"...Rhodes-Pitts has written a clear, simple tale, told in present tense and filled with colorful imagery. Myers’s art has a looser, sketchier quality than Lawrence’s more graceful figures, but both artists demonstrate a passion for vibrant, eye-popping colors that powerfully capture the African American experience... VERDICT Creative youngsters may be motivated to craft works about their own neighborhoods."
About the author
Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts is an award-winning writer and historian whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s, Vogue, and Essence, among other publications. Originally from Houston, she graduated from Harvard and was a Fulbright Scholar. She lives in New York City.
Christopher Myers is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books, notably Harlem and Black Cat, which won the Coretta Scott King Award. He lives in New York City.