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Summary
Summary
Georgia O'Keeffe's Hawaiian tour celebrates natural beauty and powerful artistic convictions.Georgia O'Keeffe was famous for painting exactly what she wanted, whether flowers or skulls. Who would ever dare to tell her what to paint? The Hawaiian Pineapple Company tried. Luckily for them, Georgia fell in love with Hawaii. There she painted the beloved green islands, vibrant flowers, feathered fishhooks, and the blue, blue sea. But did she paint what the pineapple company wanted most of all? Amy Novesky's lyrical telling of this little-known story and Yuyi Morales's gorgeous paintings perfectly capture Georgia's strong artistic spirit. The book includes an author's note, illustrator's note, bibliography, map of the islands, and endpapers that identify Georgia's favorite Hawaiian flowers.
Author Notes
Amy Novesky is the author of Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesh, illustrated by Belgin K. Wedman; and Me, Frida, illustrated by David Diaz. HMH will publish her picture book about Billie Holiday in fall 2012. Before she began writing for children, she worked as a children's book editor for Chronicle Books. She lives in Northern California with her family.
Yuyi Morales is an award-winning picture book illustrator. Her recent books include My Abuelita by Tony Johnston and the upcoming Ladder to the Moon by Maya Seotoro-Ng (Obama's half-sister). She's won the Pura Belpre medal for illustration three times, as well as two honors for illustration and one honor for narrative.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-O'Keeffe spent three months touring Hawaii in 1939 as a guest of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (which later became Dole). In return, she was to produce two paintings to promote her sponsor's juice. The trouble started when the company refused the artist's request to live near the fields (only laborers did that), instead presenting her with a pineapple to reproduce. How the two sides moved from offending one another to reconciliation is the central conflict in this lush, carefully researched book. Novesky's selection of salient details of the relationship and the journey allows the text to be brief while providing fascinating tidbits for readers and a fertile ground for Morales's imaginative acrylic and digital compositions, many of which were inspired by O'Keeffe's abstract art as well as her famous flowers, skyscrapers, and streetlights. Cool, green rainforest settings contrast with brilliant, fuchsia skies in which the protagonist is framed by larger-than-life philodendron, hibiscus, and plumeria. Flowers are identified on the endpapers. Photographs of the commissions would have been helpful, but author and illustrator notes are provided. This title fits beautifully between a portrait of the artist as a young woman in Jen Bryant's Georgia's Bones (Eerdmans, 2005) and as an older one in Kathryn Lasky's Georgia Rises (Farrar, 2009).-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
While most people associate Georgia O'Keeffe with the landscape of the American Southwest, this picture book explores the time she spent in Hawaii. Commissioned by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company to paint two works that "promote the delights of pineapple juice," O'Keeffe quickly struck out on her own, traveling throughout the Hawaiian islands. "She painted a nana honua that she'd picked by the side of the road. It reminded Georgia of her favorite desert flower, the jimsonweed." Morales's milky acrylic and digital artwork positions the spirited artist against the glowing colors of Hawaii's lush tropics. O'Keeffe had created more than a dozen paintings by the time she returned home to New York City-but none of them are of a pineapple, so "They were not happy. They wanted a pineapple! Georgia was not happy either. She was not going to be told what to paint." A rich and unexpected depiction of a treasured artist. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. Ages 6-9. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In 1939, O'Keeffe was commissioned by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (later Dole) to tour Hawaii and create promotional paintings of the exotic fruit. But she fell in love with other features of the islands--volcanoes, tropical flora, rare coral--and stubbornly wouldn't "be told what to paint." Novesky's lulling prose is matched by Morales's elegant, paradisaical acrylics inspired by O'Keeffe's art. Reading list. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Picture book/biography. 6-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In 1939, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company asked Georgia O'Keeffe to visit the islands and paint pictures promoting pineapples. But Georgia, it seems, had little interest in that. In the spirit of the book's subtitle, what pleases her in this fictional retelling are the natural wonders she encounters: waterfalls, green pleated mountains, and, of course, flowers. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company is not pleased. Finally, thankful for her time in paradise, she does her painting, though young readers may be confused by the denouement. The text of the glorious final spread reads, And Georgia painted a pineapple! But there's nothing on the page resembling the fruit. In fact, readers may have to do some research to learn that what she painted was a pineapple bud. The author's note offers a rather confused time line, which may be why this book is catalogued as fiction. However, the writing is often lovely and works as a vehicle for the stunning artwork. Morales' lush, almost sensual art recalls O'Keeffe's, but it is entirely her own. They may not see pineapples, but children will soak up paradise.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
