Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! - Hardcover

Loney, Andrea J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1620142600 ISBN 13: 9781620142608

Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 2017

Synopsis

James Van Der Zee was just a young boy when he saved enough money to buy his first camera. He took photos of his family, classmates, and anyone who would sit still for a portrait. By the fifth grade, James was the school photographer and unofficial town photographer. Eventually he outgrew his small town and moved to the exciting, fast-paced world of New York City. After being told by his boss that no one would want his or her photo taken -by a black man, - James opened his own portrait studio in Harlem. He took photographs of legendary figures of the Harlem Renaissance--politicians such as Marcus Garvey, performers including Florence Mills, Bill -Bojangles- Robinson, and Mamie Smith--and ordinary folks in the neighborhood too. Everyone wanted fancy portraits by James Van Der Zee. Winner of Lee & Low's New Voices Award, Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! tells the story of a groundbreaking artist who chronicled an important era in Harlem and showed the beauty and pride of its people.

About this title

About the Author:

ANDREA J. LONEY is a screenwriter with an MFA in dramatic writing from New York University. She won the 2014 Lee & Low New Voices Award for Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!. Loney lives in California.

Review:

In an absorbing debut, Loney introduces African-American photographer VanDerZee, who moved from Massachusetts to Harlem at age 18 with a dream and a camera: He saw what was special in everyone and captured each person s story on film. Mallett s lush acrylic paintings glow with a golden light in several scenes, treating his subject (and the Harlem Renaissance movement he documented) with the same reverence VanDerZee brought to his work. Loney closes on a triumphant note with VanDerZee s photographs on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An extensive afterword features several of VanDerZee s photographs and additional insights into his life and work. ----Publishers Weekly, starred review

Children will be drawn in by VanDerZee's struggles, inspirations, and achievements as well as the idea that photographs can be both works of art and enduring historical records and that they can be taken by devices other than phones. Backmatter includes an afterword, a bibliography, and a selection of VanDerZee's photographs. A fascinating look at the development of early photography, the life of an African-American artist, and the world of the Harlem Renaissance. ----Kirkus Reviews

Through photography, VanDerZee was able to create a nuanced depiction of life in Harlem in the 20th century. The attractive illustrations, acrylic on canvas, skillfully convey the expressions and sentiments of the images that inspired them, with some original photographs included in the afterword. VERDICT Vivid visuals and comprehensive text combine for an excellent resource for biography collections. ----School Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1620142600
• ISBN 13: 9781620142608
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Mallett Keith