Just Behave, Pablo Picasso!

Gr 2–5—As the title suggests, Picasso did not always behave. He refused to conform to popular taste or replicate his own successes. Using an innovative and offbeat approach, Winter provides glimpses of the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication that ruled the artist's world. In covering his early years (his experimentation with style, perspective, and color were not always appreciated), the author delivers a pungent message to today's young artists: don't be discouraged if your creative efforts are criticized. In doing so, Winter reminds readers that Picasso, despite being mocked, brought a whole new way of looking at the world through Cubism. The painter is, of course, the dominant, larger-than-life figure throughout—one spread, positioned vertically, finds him proclaiming, "The chief enemy of creativity is 'good sense!'" Hawkes matches Winter's storytelling rhythm, supplying vitality and intensity to the spreads with colorful scenes of Paris, people of the time, and fascinating renditions of Picasso's own work. This book is a boon for art teachers and especially classroom teachers and librarians working to bring an artistic presence and sensibility into children's lives.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA