Artists, Writers, Thinkers, Dreamers: Portraits of 50 Famous Folks & All Their Weird Stuff

Gr 8 Up—This quirky visual take on famous figures goes heavy on graphics to present brief profiles of people based around objects associated with them. Hancock explains in his introduction that people's relationships to their possessions have always interested him, discussing how Che Guevara is associated with his beret or Grace Kelly with her scarf: "Like possessions, small quirks reflect a person's identity—their clothes, their favorite food, the house they grew up in, the people they know." Hancock has chosen an array of well-known individuals, from royalty (Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana) to musicians (Elvis Presley, John Lennon) to artists (Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol) to politicians (Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama) to scientists (Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci). Crammed to the brim with whimsical line drawings depicting the subjects' hobbies, romantic partners, favorite articles of clothing, vices, and more, each page explodes with creative and intriuging details. An irreverent tone runs through the work; for instance, Billie Holiday's page features an image of heroin with the words "abused this." Admittedly, with so little text and no back matter, the book will have no use to those seeking resources for reports or essays, but Hancock has captured the essence of his subjects with these snarky and humorous mini-biographies. Browsers will be in for a treat, and more artistic readers may even be inspired to create their own portraits of celebrities or friends.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal