Art Is Everywhere: A Book About Andy Warhol

by Jeff Mack, Jeff Mack (Illustrator)

Overview

This is the story of Andy Warhol—and how his pop art took the world by storm. From drawing shoes for a shoe company to his Campbell's Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe prints, Andy made art out of the everyday. People claimed Andy's art wasn't real art, but that didn't stop him from making it, plus movies, a magazine, a TV show, and more!

With Art Is Everywhere, Jeff Mack explores Warhol's fascination (and our own) with celebrity and fame, and opens readers' minds to the possibilities for art in the world around us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250777157
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.32(w) x 10.14(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jeff Mack is a children's book author whose books include the Hippo and Rabbit series, Frog and Fly in Six Slurpy Stories, and the Clueless McGee books. He lives in Western Massachusetts where he continues to write and illustrate books, paint murals, and visit schools and libraries to talk about his work.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/12/2021

In this archly appreciative picture book biography, Mack channels Andy Warhol’s (1928–1987) aggressively vapid, relentlessly enthusiastic voice: “Oh, hello. I’m Andy. This is the story of my art. I hope you like it.” The subject narrates his career from his beginnings in commercial art, drawing so many shoes that “I felt like a robot in a factory. It was SO cool,” to his pop art breakthrough: “I drew this. Isn’t it pretty? It’s soup. Do you like soup? We all like soup.” As Warhol’s practice expands into silk screens, film, music, magazines, and television, Mack weaves in iconic details—Warhol’s penchant for wigs, collaboration, and mother—and sums up his worldview: “I think art is about liking things. It’s about seeing the things around us in a new way. Seeing them as pretty. EVERYTHING is pretty. Don’t you think?” Brushy artwork, benday-dot texture, and bright blotched color offer an age-appropriate taste of the Factory. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"As Warhol’s practice expands into silk screens, film, music, magazines, and television, Mack weaves in iconic details—Warhol’s penchant for wigs, collaboration, and mother—and sums up his worldview: “I think art is about liking things. It’s about seeing the things around us in a new way. Seeing them as pretty. EVERYTHING is pretty. Don’t you think?”" —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"This illustrated biography will engage readers with its conversational, first-person narration about what inspired Warhol’s artistry and what art can be. . .Ideal for the art classroom and in-class discussion, this friendly introduction to Warhol’s artistic inspirations, loosely framed around a biographical narrative, will spark curiosity in early elementary listeners as they brush through big questions about art and fame." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/02/2021

K-Gr 2—This illustrated biography will engage readers with its conversational, first-person narration about what inspired Warhol's artistry and what art can be. A drawn figure of Warhol, who ages as the book progresses, speaks directly to his audience as he prompts them with questions about the nature of art, noting how personal enjoyment of everyday things matters and fame is a disputed factor. Though the term Pop Art and its associated art techniques are not specifically named until the end note, the core concepts defining this movement are presented in the form of illustrated representations of Warhol's creations, as well as repeated words, portrait frames, and pictorial sequences that reflect his attention to pop culture and advertising. With relatable words, such as how anything can be "pretty" and "cool," the narrative builds a simple, unexplored but noticeable cycle about the critical opposition Warhol faced about his artwork and how he challenged relationships among fame, art media, and perceptions of art. Deliberate use of black-outlined forms, bold colors, and scattered elements showcase the visual effects of collage and screen printing. Mack's illustrations coordinate with his depictions of Warhol's most renowned works and distinct use of different art media. VERDICT Ideal for the art classroom and in-class discussion, this friendly introduction to Warhol's artistic inspirations, loosely framed around a biographical narrative, will spark curiosity in early elementary listeners as they brush through big questions about art and fame.—Rachel Mulligan, Westampton, NJ

School Library Journal

2021-09-15
Readers can explore just what makes art art with Andy Warhol.

A fictional Andy Warhol discusses career highlights as he introduces readers to the existential question “What is art?” The story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion with loose-lined illustrations of Warhol’s life. Early on the artist asks readers: “What does a real artist look like anyway?” From there, the story veers from career highlight to career highlight, hitting the Campbell’s Soup series, the Marilyn Monroe silkscreens, the Velvet Underground (not mentioned by name), and Interview magazine. Along the way, the fictional Andy challenges readers to consider the paradigms of fame, art, and celebrity. It’s a cool challenge, but it’s also one that may be a little too hip and a little too glib for readers. Like the real Warhol, the book drops names without explanation and then flits on to a different topic as if it’s a little bored with the old one. The short, blasé sentences and questions to readers that assume answers combine into a slightly condescending tone that might be very Warhol but isn’t very engaging in a biography section. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Andy Warhol once said, “I am a deeply superficial person,” and he sure comes across that way. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews