I feel super conflicted about this book. I wouldn't read it to my kids because it isn't made clear that painting on buildings is actually vandalism. It was beautifully illustrated and Basquiat's story would certainly be inspirational for artistic children. I am personally just not comfortable with how that aspect of his history was addressed.

Not my favourite Little people, Big Dreams book in the series due to the way Jean-Michel died. (Not mentioned in the story, of course) I still found this story about the well know artist interesting. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy.

I don't know much about art, so I didn't know Jean-Michel. But I liked it. It is good to see books that address the most diverse outstanding personalities in each area.

I thought this was a great book about such an influential artist. It was presented in an easy way and is a great introduction to biographies. It is great for classrooms and homes and for any children learning about art and artists.

Inspiring addition to the series

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an important African American artist in the late 1970s and the 1980s. He had quite a lot of hardships to overcome, and ultimately died an untimely death at just 27 from a heroin overdose. This book depicts his early life growing up and eventually becoming an artist inspiring millions. The book is beautifully illustrated with colorful, detailed pictures of Jean-Michael growing up in NYC and contains a short biography at the end. A story to inspire kids (and adults) to follow their passion.

Beautiful and heartwarming in these anxious times. The artwork is--as it always is in this series--stunning, inviting one to linger over the details and return to the images over and over. The images of him and Warhol are particularly lovely.

5 out of 5 🌟 Playful and charming biography

Little People, Big Dreams are short books for children about exceptional people who shaped our world. They're enjoyable pieces of non-fiction to enjoy by children. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are one of my favorites.

What I especially like about the series ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ are simple and friendly illustrations to make children feel it was truly made for them. 'Jean-Michel Basquiat' was illustrated by Luciano Lozano who did a great job creating playful and charming cartoonish artworks.

I love reading about new things along with my son and the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat was a learning curve for both of us. Even if this short book is destined for children, it contains a lot of information concentrated on an encyclopedic-style page at the end. Most importantly, everything is put in a simple and small kids-friendly way that also speaks to adults. Another must-have to my collection!

<i>Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.</i>

Again, this is a picture book biography of a person I never heard about. Kind of sad that I heard about Andy Warhol, but not about this artist. But then, it's a fun way to discover new stories.

The first time I have had the feeling that a lot of story was compressed and that it doesn't necessarily fit into the format. On the plus side, reading this book intrigued me and now I want to go out and learn more about this person, which should be the reaction to a short introduction, I guess.

I believe that the art style of this book is my favourite from all the different ones I've read in this series so far, and I hope that we'll get more from this illustrator in the future.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good entry in this popular series. The artwork was fitting for Jean-Michel’s style. It can also be used to start age-appropriate conversations on social issues.

Jean-Michel Basquiat is spotlighted in this latest edition of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. This series is such a delight and the perfect way to educate not just kids but everyone about historic and cultural icons. I have always been a huge fan of Basquiat's art so I couldn't wait to learn more about his life. This book, though designed for children, taught me about Basquiat's parents, his start in graffiti, and even his friendship with Andy Warhol. Luciano Lozano illustrates this installment and does an exquisite job. I absolutely loved Lozano's art style and appreciated how it further helped tell Basquiat's story. I love collecting these books and am so thrilled to add this one to the rest of my collection.

I like Vegara's Little People, Big Dreams series, because I've found them to be a gentle introduction into biographies for younger children. I think of them as a young child equivalent of the Who Was...? series for elementary students. The illustrations are great, and the story and text are very approachable for young audiences. I also like how all the books have a short biography section in the back. I do wish there was a bibliography for further reading, but maybe that's not necessary for the audience this series is trying to reach.

This title is a good introduction to Basquiat, although it definitely glosses over the troubled parts of his life. As a children's librarian, I struggle with the tension between wanting books to be age-appropriate, while also feeling that it's important to not shield children from the realities of life. While this book is a decent primer to Basquiat, I found myself comparing it to Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe, which I think is a superior book (also a Caldecott winner!).

Although I like the Little People, Big Dreams series, I think this one depicts a version of Basquiant's life that is too sanitized and cheerful for me to fully get behind.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review!

I love the books in this series and I couldn’t wait to read this one on Jean-Michel Basquiat (mainly as I will be 100% honest – I had no idea who he was!)

I love that these books give an insight in to the back stories of some of the most influential people in the world. The Little People, Big Dreams series is one I always look out for.

This book introduced me to Basquiat who sounds like a fascinating character and I did go online after finishing the book to read more about him too so it worked for me as an adult too.

I really enjoyed it, 4 stars from me, highly recommended!

This book is an excellent illistration of a fraction of the life of jean-Michel Basquiat, that gives enough information that an older reader may want to look more into the life of the artist, while not being too long as to make children lose interest.
Unlike some of the other books that I have read in this series, I entered this book without knowing too much about the person being described, however I don't think this hindered my reading experience in the slightest. The colour pallette that was chosen for the artwork within the book really suited the tone of the story. Highly recommend

Another great addition from Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, this one I didn’t know too much about so it’s great to learn things you didn’t know. These books are great for little people, but they also teach big people new things too. Wonderful illustrations as always and well written.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Another great book in this series. Small details make such a difference - I loved the pattern in his mother's dress and the image of the graffiti with the bridge in the background.

I love how accessible the stories are for kids and wish that they'd been around when I was a kid.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Loved this short biographical board book about the inspiring life of artist Jean Michael Basquiat. The Author writes a summary of his life painting a picture of a young, poor regular boy who is so inspired by his surroundings that he makes it his life work. Loved it!

I absolutely adored this book - and in particular the illustration style. It was beautiful - especially the New York scenes, which were utterly evocative of the place they were depicting. There is a scene where Jean-Michel and his mother are in a gallery, and it's immediately obvious which gallery they're in despite the artwork and characters remaining the focal point. The depiction of the passing of time, and changing fashions, is also wonderful. By the time Jean-Michel is in his own studio, his creative space feels alive on the page. I wasn't expecting to enjoy a children's picture book as much as I did - this was glorious.

I enjoyed the ilistratuons and the way the story was told as I do with all the books in this series. I find them incredible beautiful.

I understand he was influencial and his work set new standard and defined a new generation in art.
However I'm not sure if this is a good example for a children' book knowing that unfortunately the artist died by a drug overdose. Which might be just my way of thinking

This one was a 'no' from me. I did come to it hoping it would persuade me the "art" of the subject was worthwhile, but of course, in these few words, it didn't. But the book also never made me gun for the man – it never proved why, in either life achievement or visual aesthetic, we should be looking up to him. The better books in this series give the potted, all-ages suitable, biography, with an emphasis on showing why the lauded subject is a hero to people – this, perhaps partly due to my admitted bias, didn't. What's more, the visuals were incredibly confusing to the adult. We start off with the kid going to the museum with his mother, and listening to his father's jazz, while the adults are wearing 50s clothing. We then go to the 80s scene where he's gaining notoriety by flogging his output on the street, and then back to a nightclub with Warhol, dressed in 70s clobber. Why the timeline looked like this, I'll never know. Still, the key here is the character of the person, not the character of the book's design, and I'll maintain this illegal graffiti tagger turned ODing junkie is not a fit subject for such a series.

Incredible kids biography about an amazing artist. Can’t wait to have my students read about Basquiat!