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Summary
Summary
Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas.
Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most preeminent painters of the twentieth century. Told from the point of view of young Alma Thomas, readers can follow along as she grows into her discovery of the life-changing power of art.
As a child in Georgia, Alma Thomas loved to spend time outside, soaking up the colors around her. And her parents filled their home with color and creativity despite the racial injustices they faced. After the family moved to Washington, DC, Alma shared her passion for art by teaching children. When she was almost seventy years old, she focused on her own artwork, inspired by nature and space travel.
In this celebration of art and the power of imagination, Jeanne Walker Harvey and Loveis Wise tell the incredible true story of Alma Thomas, the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York City and to have her work chosen for the White House collection. With her bold and vibrant abstract paintings, Alma set the world ablaze with color.
Ablaze with Color includes extensive back matter with photos, an author's and illustrator's note, a timeline, and a list of sources and resources that will be a great tool for parents, educators, and librarians. Perfect for Women's History Month and Black History Month units alongside such favorites as Malala's Magic Pencil, Hidden Figures, and Mae Among the Stars.
A NAACP IMAGE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LITERARY CHILDREN'S WORK NOMINEE! A JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN 2023 FINALIST! A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2022! A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 2022 BEST BOOK FOR KIDS! A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST INFORMATIONAL BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS OF 2022! A NERDY BOOK CLUB 2022 BEST NONFICTION BOOK! A CCBC BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2023! A CHARTER OAK CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD NONFICTION NOMINEE! A 2022 CALIBA GOLDEN POPPY AWARD FINALIST! A 2023 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD (NCBA) IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS: YOUNGER READERS NOMINEE!Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 4--Harvey rectifies an enormous wrong with this spirited biography of Black painter Alma Thomas (1891--1978), who is not nearly as renowned as she ought to be. In clear language and straightforward presentation, the author (Maya Lin) focuses on Thomas's family's intellectual ambitions and support of her aspirations, her love of nature and education, and her determination and persistence in the face of societal obstacles. Thomas's selflessness as a teacher clearly equaled her love of art: "Through color, I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man's inhumanity to man." Although midway through the book readers learn that she spent her adult life in Washington, DC, only by consulting the useful back matter do they find, for example, where Thomas was born (via a cleverly constructed time line). The handful of references include two books for older readers, complementing this one for the young. Wise celebrates Thomas's work with saturated, page-filling, vibrant color; the rich, flat, atmospheric compositions fit Thomas's tesselated style and high-key colors better than Obiora N. Anekwe's Alma's Dream. Though Thomas made most of her paintings after age 70, the concept of aging in these pages is not literal, but more stylized and impressionistic. VERDICT An inspiring introduction for artists and appreciators, as individuals or shared in groups --Patricia D. Lothrop
Publisher's Weekly Review
This bright profile centers Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891--1978), who broke ground as the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at New York City's Whitney Museum and to have artwork displayed in the White House. Harvey employs a poetic voice, rich with alliteration and rhythm, as the narrative follows Thomas through a creative childhood ("Her aunts painted petals and patterns,/ and Alma dipped her brush in tiny pots"); a move from Georgia to Washington, D.C.; years teaching art in segregated schools; an eventual shift to focus on her own art at almost 70 years old; and resulting accomplishments. Wise's fluid digital art employs vivid strokes, patterns, colors, and reproductions that pay winning homage to Thomas in this comprehensive biography of a celebrated, trailblazing 20th-century painter. Back matter includes creators' notes, photographs, and a timeline of Alma's life alongside events in the U.S. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)
Horn Book Review
This superb picture-book biography profiles Alma Thomas (1891-1ISBN 978), the first Black woman to have art displayed in the White House's permanent collection. After a childhood filled with "soaking up the sparkling colors of nature" and enhanced by heady discussions ("Alma's parents filled their home with books and created their own place of learning"), Thomas taught art to Black children in segregated schools. During her long teaching career, she "painted, studied, and shared ideas with artist friends" on the side until retiring and turning to creating art full time. Thomas was the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney in New York, in 1972, and made history again when First Lady Michelle Obama chose her modern masterpiece, Resurrection, for permanent display in the White House's Old Family Dining Room. Harvey's (Maya Lin, rev. 7/17) poetic text is imagistic and deftly paced; Wise's (The People Remember, rev. 11/21) digital artwork is boldly, fittingly colorful. Long, loose-limbed figures in various shades of brown pop against backgrounds of blues, greens, and golds. The story is bookended with scenes of Alma in repose, lying on her back, hands behind her head, the very picture of satisfaction from a job well done and a life well lived. Author and illustrator notes, an illustrated timeline, a source list, notes, and references (with separate sections for articles, children's books, and adult books) are appended. Sam Bloom March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Despite her era's racial segregation and prejudice, African American artist and art teacher Alma Thomas blazed a colorful trail. Growing up in the early 1900s, young Alma was drawn to "the sparkling colors of nature" around her family's large Victorian house in Columbus, Georgia. As the story recounts, she spurned the domestic pursuits her sisters embraced, longing instead "to make things, / things she could hold." So, she started creating pottery using clay from the banks of the stream behind her childhood home. Due to racial injustice, the Thomas children weren't allowed to attend the schools, museums, or library in their town; nevertheless, their home was filled with books and learning, and creativity as well. When Alma was 15, her family moved to Washington, D.C., where she studied art in college and then taught art at a local school. The story goes on to describe Thomas' tireless efforts to increase access to art for the Black students in her community and her many groundbreaking achievements both as an educator and as an artist, including being the first Black woman to have a solo museum exhibition in America. The text achieves a fine balance of evocative lyricism and straightforward exposition. Wise's vibrant, eye-catching illustrations contain echoes of Thomas' signature abstract style, with its colorful mosaiclike patterns and tessellated brush strokes. Most characters are Black; a few illustrations include diverse representation. Uplifting with hope and ablaze with joyous colors! (author's note, illustrator's note, timeline, sources, references) (Picture-book biography. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This charming biography's title describes not only Alma Thomas' signature paintings but the book's radiant artwork, which emphasizes how the colors of the natural world inspired her unusual, iconic works. When Thomas was little, she was surrounded by art, with her mother a dress designer and her aunts pottery painters. But Thomas, who was Black, lived in a still-segregated Georgia, and when she couldn't attend the local high school, her family moved to Washington, D.C. Later Thomas attended art school, and still facing segregation, she taught children art lessons in her home, though she never stopped making her own art. At age 70, she stopped teaching and, inspired by her garden, created the style of "Circles and stripes. Dashes and dabs" that brought her success. In 1972, New York's Whitney Museum showed an exhibition of her Paintings of Earth and Space, the first solo show there by a Black woman, and more recently, the Obamas chose one of her paintings to display in the White House, the first work by a Black woman to appear there. Neatly encapsulating a long life that saw social and personal upheaval, as well as gorgeously showcasing the art produced along the way and the natural world that inspired it, this title is a must for art and biography shelves.
