Review
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The wall of the title belongs to a city building, its
expanse broken only by a straggling vine, some graffiti, and a
torn for some long-ago event. A boy addresses it: “Maybe
once you were full of style,/ but no one has taken care of you./
You are nothing to look at.” In textural, mural-like paintings by
Parra (Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos), friendly-looking,
folk-art-style children play on matte pages. Though the landscape
is bleak (“We cheer for the tiny flowers pushing through the
cracks in the sidewalk”), the neighborhood’s families—of all
colors—eat, dance, and laugh together (“there is love; there is
joy”). The boy realizes that if something is to be done about the
wall’s uncared-for expanse, it’s up to him: “I’ve got my pencil,/
I’ve got my paints,/ I’ve got my dreams.” The boy organizes his
neighbors, and with paint, ladders, and smiles, they create a
beautiful mural. This story of urban renewal sends a welcome
double message by Verde (The Water Princess): neighbors and
neighborhoods are more than the way they look, and ordinary
people can band together to transform big things. -- Publishers
Weekly, July 7, 2018
Verde’s unique style and simple yet increasingly important
messages of peace, mindfulness, and community make her stories a
must-share! This title is no different. Turning the first page,
readers see the big wall referenced in the title, but also the
bustling city street and sidewalks, and a boy—pondering the
surface and wondering how he can make this empty wall something
special that represents his life and his community. The boy walks
children through the seasons, and they see that the wall is
unchanged and unadorned as the city lives and breathes around it.
The boy decides to take matters into his own hands, and with the
power of art and community, he breathes life back into the wall,
so it pulses and dances just like the people and neighbors it now
represents. The final page shows the transformation and the
simple words, Hey, Wall! Both the author and illustrator notes
are instrumental in sharing this picture book as a read-aloud
with students and will spark the necessary conversation of change
and community, and how art can support both. VERDICT A
must-purchase for elementary libraries that could easily support
art curriculums covering topics of graffiti, street art, and
using art to spark social change. -- School Library Journal,
STARRED REVIEW
"Walls do not just create barriers and divide spaces. They can be
canvases for artmaking; rtunities to shape a community. A
little-boy protagonist directly addresses the neglected wall that
faces his house: “You are nothing to look at. / You are cold, /
old, / empty.” In a community whose better economic days seem
past (the boy’s grandma “talks of a time when our neighborhood
was beautiful”), where the children “cheer for the tiny flowers
pushing through the / cracks in the sidewalk, reaching for
sunlight,” the boy decides to take action. “I am a writer, a
creator / a game changer, / a wall changer,” he declares, which
sparks a community effort to turn the wall into a public mural.
“Now you tell the real story of us.” Parra’s acrylic
illustrations are in a similar palette to and display the same
warmth as his work in Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos (rev. 3/18).
A range of skin tones is represented; the children’s clothing is
shown in deep reds, greens, and oranges; and the wall itself
evokes the texture of bricks that have been painted over with a
shade of cornflower-blue. Author and illustrator endnotes explain
the impetus for the story and place murals within a larger
context of art history, public art, and activism." -- The Horn
Book -- The Horn Book
"This book tells the story of how one voice, one child, truly can
make a difference. Told in simple, brief statements, a young boy
speaks to the plain blue wall of lonely concrete on the street of
his community that otherwise goes unnoticed. Indoor festivities
in the community include delicious cooking and eating, colorful
stories resulting in belly laughs, and exuberant salsa dancing.
Outside, however, the wall stands in bleak contrast. The boy
decides to take this matter to the streets. With art supplies in
hand, he announces with confidence that he is a writer, creator,
and wall changer. Joined by his friends, the wall is transformed
from a blank blue canvas into a lively depiction of their loving
community. Illustrated with a blue background throughout, Parra’s
soft acrylics harmoniously detail the children designing the
mural, then painting on ladders, and finally bringing the wall to
life. Back matter by both author and illustrator includes the
distinction between graffiti and street art as well as a
description of where their love of street art comes from. This is
an excellent choice to inspire classroom, school-wide, or even
community art projects. Highly recommended.: School Library
Connection -- School Library Connection, November / December 2018
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About the Author
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Susan Verde’s first picture book, The Museum, illustrated
by Peter H. Reynolds, was a Bank Street Best Book of the
Year. Booklist praised, “The rhymed text captures the excitement
of a being sparked by art.” Her other books include You and Me, I
Am Yoga, The Water Princess, and I Am Peace, all illustrated by
Peter H. Reynolds; as well as Rock ’n’ Roll Soul, illustrated by
Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell; My Kicks, illustrated by
Katie Kath; and Hey, Wall, illustrated by John Parra. Susan is a
former elementary school teacher with a Master’s degree in
reading remediation. In addition to writing books, Susan teaches
yoga and mindfulness to kids (and adults) of all ages. She lives
in East Hampton, New York, with her three children. Learn more at
SusanVerde.com.
John Parra’s illustrations for Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos,
written by Monica Brown, earned the book a New York Times Best
Illustrated Book designation. He also illustrated Green Is a
Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Thong, which received
a Pura Belpré Honor and the Américas Book Award:
Commended; Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit
of New Orleans by Phil Bildner, which won the Golden Kite Award
for Picture Book Illustration and was a Bank Street Best Book of
the year; and Hey, Wall, by Susan Verde, which School Library
Journal called “a must-purchase” in a starred review. Learn more
at JohnParraArt.com.
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