Jazz Age Josephine Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman Atheneum, 2012
CBC/NCSS Notable Children’s Book in Social Studies New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
THREE STARRED REVIEWS…!
*“The life of entertainer Josephine Baker isn’t an easy one to translate into picture book form, but Winter and Priceman attack her story with a gusto worthy of Miss Josephine herself…. A rollicking tribute to a remarkable, trailblazing woman.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Read the review.>
* “Even though the ranks of picture-book biographies of significant artists… have swollen considerably in recent years, this one about the singer, dancer, and all-around entertainer Josephine Baker still manages to dazzle…. Winter’s syncopated language dances nearly as much as the energized, loose-limbed figures in Priceman’s kinetic artwork to convey the spirit, as much as the life, of the subject.” (Booklist, starred review) Read the review.>
“Winter’s language—bursting with the riffs and rhythms of the Jazz Age—will have kids shaking and shimmying. Winter has a great ear for sketching out the life of the entertainer Josephine Baker, from the miseries of her childhood in St. Louis to her triumphant success in Paris. It’s an ebullient, kinetic ride, kept in constant visual motion by Marjorie Priceman’s swirling lines and jazz-hot colors.” (The New York Times Book Review) Read the review.>
“Jonah Winter doesn’t duck the task of showing both the highs and lows in Josephine Baker’s life.” (Chicago Tribune)
“When we try and name the biggest and best picture book biography authors out there, two names immediately spring to mind. The first is David Adler. Mr. Adler specializes in picture books that go by the straightforward titles of 'A Picture Book of [enter name here]'…. They serve a purpose. They also couldn’t be more different from the works of the great picture book biographer Jonah Winter. Mr. Winter’s books leap off the shelf and make a dive for your jugular. They pop and smack and wrest your attention away from the glittery fiction pack. His latest, Jazz Age Josephine, is no different…. One of these days someone is going to track down the leprechaun Mr. Winter used to get his wish to be consistently illustrated by the most interesting artists in the biz, and then we’ll all be in trouble. Honestly, though, I don’t know how the man does it. How he has managed to corral the talents of Ana Juan, Red Nose Studio, Jeanette Winter (that one I understand), Sean Qualls, Andre Carrilho, Raul Colon, Calef Brown, Kevin Hawkes, Barry Blitt, Richard Egielski and so many others to his cause is a mystery. Many of these folks had never illustrated a work of nonfiction a day of their life, but there was something about Winter’s style that enticed them.” (School Library Journalblog) Read the review.>
