The Sign Painter

I just found this book and was fascinated by the fact that he does so much with so little. I spent a wonderful hour or so trying to track down the artists he is obviously referring to. Because he doesn't include them anywhere in the book, it's like a treasure hunt. The Edward Hopper references are obvious on the first and last page. There's Norman Rockwell (the older sign painter sitting and painting when we first meet him), Ansel Adams (a black and white of a mountain), Magritte (a billboard with clouds), and a nod to Georgia O'Keefe (the cattle skull). There appears to be a reference to Russell and/or Remington with the scene of the two main characters sitting at a campfire against a big sky, but I didn't get around to finding an actual painting since I was pressed for time. The whole situation of the book seems to refer to Andy Warhol and pop art/advertising, but I couldn't find a Warhol work that was specifically used. There are several illustrations that seem to have references (a bright magenta convertible with a blonde driving, a road leading into a stylized landscape, a huge structure of scaffolding, etc.) that I haven't been able to place, but I'm planning on having fun searching with my kids! My husband had fun seeing if he could place them also (not to mention the librarian who was helping me! One of the reasons I'm writing this review is so if others are looking for what the references are they can find a more complete list than I was able to find -- I hope others add their observations!). The story itself is, like many other Allen Say books, somewhat autobiographical and dreamlike. Not your typical children's book at all. If you're looking for a neat way to give a wide age range of kids an introduction to 20th c. art (mostly American), this is great. They can comb through collections and say, "Hey! Look what I found! This is just like that picture when the boy..." Younger kids can just enjoy the story about a young painter who has to paint things he's not particularly interested in to make a living while he hopes to one day be able to paint what really moves him. I'm considering using it for a homeschooled kids lit gathering we're a part of, having the older kids go out and hunt down the references (hopefully they'll find some of the ones I didn't!), and letting kids who want to draw their own version of a picture that pays homage to an artist whose work they themselves enjoy. Wonderful story on many levels. Five stars.

This is a wonderful story about a young man's pursuit of his dream. The artwork is incredible. The author pays homage to many artists in this book - including Hopper, Rockwell, and O'Keefe to name a few. My sons - ages 7 and 9 both enjoyed it as did their classmates. I highly recommend it.