Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas: An Inspiring Art Story About Creativity and Bold Expression for Children (Ages 4–8) - Hardcover

Harvey, Jeanne Walker

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0063021897 ISBN 13: 9780063021891

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2022

Synopsis

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!

About this title

About the Authors

Jeanne Walker Harvey has been a longtime docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Just like Alma Thomas, Jeanne believes that art brings us joy. Her other picture books include Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines and My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey. Jeanne studied literature and psychology at Stanford University. She lives in Northern California. Visit her online at www.jeanneharvey.com.

Loveis Wise is an illustrator and designer from Washington, DC. They are currently based in Los Angeles, and their work often speaks to themes of joy and liberation. Loveis has illustrated two books: The People Remember and Ablaze with Color. More of their work can be found through the New Yorker, Google, Adobe, and the New York Times.

Reviews

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. Lothropα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0063021897
• ISBN 13: 9780063021891
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Wise Loveis
• Number of pages: 40