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Summary
Summary
A collection of 14 poetic verses surveys the life and art of Marc Chagall, the Jewish-Russian painter who gained renown throughout the 1900s with his modernist and surrealist works.
Author Notes
J. Patrick Lewis was born on May 5, 1942. He is a poet and prose writer who is known for his children's poems. He worked as a professor of economics before devoting himself full-time to writing in 1998. He is the author of 90 children's books including: BoshBlobberBosh, Please Bury Me in the Library, A Hippopotamusn't, First Dog, Spot the Plot, The House, and The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. In 2014, his title Voices from the March on Washington, made the Hot Civil Rights Titles List.
He has received many awards from the American Library Association, The Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Claudia Lewis Award from The Bank Street School and others. He also received the 2010-11 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Excellence in Children's Poetry Award. He was also named the third, U.S. Children's Poet Laureate for 2011-2013 by the Poetry Foundation in Chicago.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Two equally esteemed poets lend their voices to the art of Marc Chagall. Fourteen poems, which take their titles from Chagall's paintings, provide a chronological narrative of the artist's life, up to his death at age 97 in 1985. Excellent-quality reproductions grace this picture-book-size volume, as do photographs of the artist. There are explanatory notes beneath each poem and a bibliography at the end. Yolen's "Maternity" begins with Chagall's birth, in the then Russian city of Vitebsk; family members toast with schnapps-"May he be a herring merchant like his father." But it is his mother who seems aware of the muse already present in the room: "May he always be happy in his work." Some of Yolen's poems are flavored with Yiddish (translations appear at the bottom of the pages); Lewis's poems are more formal but are also rich in revelation about the paintings. In "I and the Village" he writes, "I knew myself, white lips, my face in green,/I drew the cow's contentment in between." Both poets offer readers new understandings of the paintings: Yolen's "The Flying Horse" conveys the inescapable fear present during the Holocaust, while Lewis's "The Fall of Icarus" provides a horrifying explanation of the red path that divides the painting. The writers grasp the iconography and sensibility of Chagall's work and provide readers with new paths to make this strange and beautiful journey.-Tess Pfeifer, Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Lewis and Yolen pair 14 poems about Marc Chagall (1887-1985) with reproductions of more than a dozen of his paintings (as well as vintage photographs) in this moving account of the artist's Jewish upbringing in what is now Belarus ("Oh, Uncle, play me a communion,/ on your kishefdik violin"), his ascent in the art world, and his loves and losses, including arrest by the Nazis while living in Paris ("There is no arguing with soldiers,/ no pleading while wearing the yellow star"). The duo's emphatic and empathetic verse is put into context by informative biographical sidebars that appear beneath each poem. A study in resilience, dedication, and wide-ranging talent. Ages 11-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In elegant verse, Lewis and Yolen put words to some of Chagall's famous works. Paragraphs of supporting biographical text and vibrant reproductions of the art are paired with poems, mostly written in the first-person, that feel like Chagall's own authentic voice; occasional photographs are included. A novel way to package an artist biography and impart admiration of mastery. Bib., glos. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
oeuvre and, most importantly, 14 full-color reproductions of Chagall's affecting, mystical, sometimes surreal re-imaginings of his Jewish childhood in Eastern Europe, paintings that swell with touching imagery of joy, loss and beauty. Most of the book's two-page spreads include an evocative poem (by either Lewis or Yolen) inspired by or reflecting upon the painting on the facing page. These spreads also feature informative, telling biographical briefs that anchor the art and beautifully crafted poetry to Chagall's long, incident-rich life and artistic career. Details about each painting's size, medium, date and provenance also add interest. Chagall's work is represented in over 40 museums in North America, and teachers and parents often find his work particularly accessible and appealing to children who readily and eagerly decode his imagery, making this book useful as well is beautiful. This inspired collaboration adds a heightened poetic dimension to readers' understanding of Chagall's life and art. (Picture book/poetry/biography. 11 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With a title inspired by one of Marc Chagall's paintings, this handsome, large-format book traces his life through free-verse poems and paragraphs of information, illuminated by excellent reproductions of his paintings and a few period photos of the artist and his world. Born in the Russian city of Vitebsk, Chagall married Bella, his muse and frequent model. A Jew, he left Russia in 1922 after the formation of the Soviet Union and fled Nazi-occupied Paris for New York in 1941. He returned to France after the war. Both Lewis and Yolen contribute poems, usually written from Chagall's point of view, and the quality of the verse is quite good. A list of sources is appended. On a typical double-page spread, a clearly written paragraph of information works with the poem and the large illustration on the facing page to communicate a sense of who Marc Chagall was and what he loved as well as tracing the story of his life, noting his accomplishments, and commenting on the artworks shown. A unique introduction to Chagall and his art.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
