Vibrant, expressive art filled with depth and warm humor partners with inspirational text celebrating Jean-Michel Basquiat's unique talent and ambition. Young readers will learn about the importance of believing in yourself and finding like-minded people to support and challenge you, and they will delight in the story of this iconic artist.

I've read a good many of these mini-biographies for children, and enjoyed nearly all of them. This one is no exception. It tells the story of this renowned American artist of artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent.

Illustrated nicely by Lozano, the book covers the growth of the artist from his early days drawing at the age of four, through his introduction to human anatomy via a book he read when he was sick one time, to his rebels years, and his later collaborations with Andy Warhol. Even someone who died tragically young can have a lasting influence on what comes later.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Another beautiful read in the Little people, big dreams series that I've fallen in love with.
This book gives an age appropriate short biography of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat from being a young boy to adult. I loved the artwork in this book telling his story and found it very befitting to his artwork style too.
This is a great book for children who love art or creativity and is an inspiration to look to too.

A book about someone I had never heard about but very influential in the art world. Very interesting to learn about Jean-Michael and how he started as a graffiti artist and became part of a movement. So fascinating to learn about his art style with mixed medium, this could be very inspirational for children.

I really liked this volume! It was good to see some different representation, though we have had an eclectic bunch in this series already. I do wish, once again, that these books included a little more on the person, even if it was only in the ending pages.

Another fantastic book from the Little People Big Dreams series. This book on Jean-Michel Basquiat is particularly good as it sheds light on a figure that most likely would be neglected within the history books that children would typically read. My 5 year old son loved it, as he does the rest of the series, particularly because he is a budding artist himself. Beautiful illustrations again and I would not hesitate to recommend.

Please note we are not permitted to write bookseller reviews on waterstones.com whilst on furlough. As such, I will post this review on our website on my return to work.

Self-taught graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquait created bright, passionate, and energetic art that championed social justice and celebrated a diversity of experience. He gained fame at a young age, dating a then-unknown Madonna and befriending Andy Warhol, but struggles with drug addiction ultimately led to his untimely death at twenty-seven.

In the eight years he was active, Basquait was incredibly prolific, and he left an enduring legacy with his body of work, uniquely identifiable with its signature brush strokes, bold color, and inclusion of words and phrases.

The bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara never disappoints me. Jean-Michel Basquait, illustrated by Luciano Lozano, tells Basquait’s life story in an abbreviated form and in language appropriate for children aged four to seven. An illustrated timeline and a short biography for adults follows the text. I loved the illustrations depicting Brooklyn of the 1960s, and Basquait and Warhol on a dance floor under a disco ball is priceless.

I do think the brief segment on Baquait’s teen years are a little confusing. At thirteen, his mother began a process of entering and leaving mental institutions, and he ran away from home at fifteen, though was back in his father’s care within a week. When seventeen, he dropped out of high school, and his father turned him out of the house. After that, Basquait found City-As-School, an alternative school. Much of this is included in the biography at the back of the book, but in the main text, the order of events is ambiguous, and it sounds like he dropped out of high school before he ran away. It might also have been instructive to include, at least in the biography, the fact that in May 2017, a Basquait painting sold for $110.5 million, the highest price commanded thus far by an American or black artist.

As in the other books in the series, Basquait came from unlikely beginnings to make a significant cultural impact. Not only is his story inspiring, it is too little known. This is a great introduction to his life and work, and I would certainly recommend it for anyone with young readers.

Another great "Little People, BIG DREAMS" book and what a treat it was! Beautifully illustrated, easy to read and a joy to behold - I absolutely recommend to get a printed hardback! A treat for a child (or an adult - especially a fan of art!). A great introduction to one of the artists of the Twentieth century.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book for free in exchange for a fair review.

I love the Little People, Big Dreams series and eagerly dove in to read about Jean-Michel Basquiat. This was a person I had not heard of and was quite interested in his life and role in the art world. Basquiat was instrumental in the graffiti art movement, eventually becoming friends with the infamous, Andy Warhol. The illustrations were amazing in this book, giving it an artsy feel as well as blending well with the text. I enjoyed learning about Jean-Michel Basquiat, yet after reading this book, I felt that I still did not know much. I went online to find out more and was surprised to read about his troubled life and death. I can see why this short biography did not include those details as it is written for young children, but it felt a bit sanitized. I would definitely recommend older children find out more about this artist and recommend this book as a starting point to find out if this subject is one that interests a young reader to do further research. The inclusion of a short timeline at the back of these books is also something I really like. As always, I recommend this book to public and school libraries.

I love the little people, big dreams books. They are well written, tell a delightful true story in an age appropriate way and have beautiful illustrations.

This is a wonderful introduction into teaching children about art. My daughter loved seeing Jean-Michel's art represented in the illustrations. I would love to see more of these books written about artist's. I didn't know much of his story before this book, but I will be looking for more to read about him!

The publisher made a copy of this book available on Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions here are my honest review.

Jean-Michel Basquiat is someone I had never heard of so I was intrigued to find out a bit about him in the Little People, Big Dreams series.

As with all of the amazing people in the series Jean-Michel Basquiat has achieved a lot in his life but he also seems to have gone through a lot more than most in his personal life. It was inspiring to see how he followed his dreams even when times have been tough and used this as an inspiration for his art. It's great to see a less common form of art represented in the book as it will inspire children that they can dream big just like him even if it isn't common.

The illustrations are lovely and great to see just how busy his life had been and to help children see the kind of art he liked to create. The timeline at he end is interesting to read about from a more realistic point of view. This is a great addition to the series and I'm sure it will inspire many children to follow their dreams too.

In terms of the illustrations, this is perhaps my favourite in the series. To a young reader, the quirky, stylish and colourful graphics nicely capture both, the artist's life and work.

From his humble beginnings in New York, Basquiat would achieve worldwide acclaim and recognition. He was certainly someone who followed his dreams.

Of course the whole issue of graffiti art and Basquiat's destructive lifestyle may need to be approached with parental care, but the underlying message of having a dream and following your passions is aptly displayed here.

With a biographical timeline at the end, it may inspire some readers to seek out more information about his life and works.

An eye-opening book for young children about a pioneering artist. Even I had no idea that he knew Andy Warhol!

I received an electronic ARC from The Quarto Group through NetGalley.
This entry in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series is a hit. Sanchez Vegara captures the energy and drive of Basquiat from childhood on. The illustrations capture his style as well. This book shares who he is for elementary level readers. It gently approaches the troubled times in his life and brings out his passion for his art and poetry.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Puerto Rican mother and Haitian father. He was always interested in art, When recovering from an accident, his mother gave him a copy of Gray’s Anatomy, sparking his interest in art of the human form. As a teenage4, her was part of a graffiti duo that became famous in New York. He went on to create artwork of everyday people.

This book describes Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life in detail, but in easily understood language for children. The illustrations are well done.

As an educator, I would recommend this book to children to see that they can do big things. Everyone can make a difference.

Thank you to the Quarto Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to know more about this artist and I'm shocked I haven't learned about him, particularly as he was friends with Andy Warhol and I remember a few classes on that artist.

I loved how he opened conversations of racism and social inequality through his graffiti.

I read this with my seven year old, and while it would be better for a younger child, we still enjoyed it together. I was, however, a bit disappointed in this very sanitized version of Basquiat's life. Unlike the other books in this series, I felt that this one didn't make as clear the fact that Basquiat's art was also social commentary about important issues on his mind. More of an inclusion of that would foster better discussions for the readers.

This book brings us the life story of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the painter and graffiti artist who died at very young age, leaving behind him huge impressive works. As lovely as all the other books in this series, this one also brings the artists life story to the smallest of the readers and helps acquaint them with the man and his art.
The section at the end highlighting the special years in his journey and some of his important works is very informative.

Jean-Michel Basquiat by Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another fantastic children's book in the Little People, Big Dreams series.
This one is about Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York. and became the famous graffiti street art movement pioneer.
This lovely book is very colourful throughout and I found this little book full of easy to read, with great Illustrations throughout this small book.

It's one you should definitely buy for your little readers so they can learn about this man. Especially as this book includes extra facts
at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the brilliant artist's life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group/ Frances Lincoln Children's books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Absolutely fantastic.Honestly I had never heard of this person but this book msde me want to know him better.
A very simple story of a small boy who gives art a new meaning.A very lovely addition in the series.