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The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art
CCBC Review:
Painter Ben Shahn used his art to tell stories about people who were outsiders in America, such as immigrants, prisoners, and Jews like Shahn himself. Born in a shtetl in Lithuania, he came to the United States as a child following his father’s imprisonment and eventual escape from Siberia for speaking out for fair pay for workers. As an immigrant, Shahn was bullied for being Jewish and struggled to learn English, but his talent for drawing was recognized. At age 14, he apprenticed to a lithographer, hand-lettering signs. He attended art school at night, but he wasn’t interested in creating landscapes; he wanted his art to reflect real people and their lives and experiences. In the 1940s and 50s, Shahn was accused of disloyalty to the government and questioned by the FBI because of his art. But he continued to depict the lives and work of activists, protesters, and ordinary people, which is why he came to be known as “the people’s painter.” Arresting illustrations in gouache, acrylic, pencil, chalk, and linoleum block print make a dramatic backdrop for this engaging account of Shahn’s life and work. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Evan Turk
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 8-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
Activism and Resistance
Art and Artists
Biography
Discrimination and Prejudice
Immigration and Immigrants
Jewish People
Judicial System
Politics and Political Systems
Diversity subject:
Jewish
Publisher:
Abrams
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 48
ISBN: 9781419741302
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 759 Levinson