Review by Booklist Review
Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney's granddaughter recalls treasured hours spent in his music-filled art studio. Through a sensory wash of remembered sounds, textures, and hues (birdsong outside the open window, jazz bopping and riffing within, an absorbing array of papers and paints), Pinkney Barlow's poetic phrases capture a little girl's delight in sharing the intriguing world of her grandfather's artmaking. As she learns to mix paint, draft sketches, navigate watercolor's nuances--and make mistakes--Grandad's patient encouragement guides her from tentative to confident. When he calls her an artist, she's surprised, yet proud--certain that she, too, has stories to tell. The lyrical text is rich in resonant musical phrasings and evocative descriptions, occasionally appearing in expressive flowing shapes and swooshes. Combining collage, watercolor, and colored pencil, the inventive mixed-media art echoes both the layered process of artmaking and the rich tapestry of layered memories. Photos of real art tools and materials are juxtaposed in intriguing layouts with collaged figures crafted from deftly drawn portraits and patterned papers. With family photos and a Pinkney sketch featuring the young author as model, the author's note includes details of the revered creator's career while reaffirming the profound effect of her grandfather's loving mentorship. This radiant, deeply personal picture book honors creativity, legacy, and love and shows how one generation's generosity can not only inform but inspire imagination in another.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Pinkney Barlow (Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar) pays homage to her late grandfather, illustrator Jerry Pinkney (1939--2021) in a heartwarming reflection about artmaking's improvisational process. As the young protagonist visits Grandad's art studio, first-person text sets the scene: "the trill, cheep, chirp of birdsong drifts through the open window,/ mixing with the bop, tap, clap of Grandad's jazz." Further lines describe a space featuring paper "covered in scratchy pencil marks," a pile of stories made by Grandad, and the man's own "sunshine smile." As "snappy trumpet floods the warm studio," the two work side by side, and the sounds of bass and saxophone build to a moving moment when the child's "I don't think I did it right" prompts a reassurance that affirms their path as an artist: "There is no right way.... Every artist sees the world differently." Multimedia artwork incorporates purple-outlined characters interacting with art supplies (on one spread, the protagonists dance across a watercolor tray) and hand-painted paper-cuts that conjure Pinkney's creations and studio. It's a portrait of "two artists" at work that takes young creators seriously. An author's note concludes. Ages 3--7. Agent: Shadra Strickland and Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Jan.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Barlow presents a tender homage to intergenerational connection and a lively celebration of creative expression. When a young Charnelle hears the "bop, tap, clap of Grandad's jazz" coming from his artist's studio, she immediately knows that "Grandad is painting." He encourages Charnelle to explore making art with him and reassures her when things don't go as planned. When she attempts a watercolor wash -- "Make a puddle at the top, and use your brush to slowly pull it down the page" -- her puddle runs away from her and makes a mess. When she reaches for the water jar, it falls "Clash, Clink, Clang" to the floor. Grandad tells her, "Don't worry. I've had my fair share of spills too," and hands her a sketchbook. The two then sit and sketch together. Charnelle worries that her drawing of a plant is wrong, and Grandad reminds her that "there is no right way. Every artist sees the world differently." Mixed-media illustrations reflect the pair's closeness, mutual respect, and artistic bond; the music playing in the background is represented as a ribbon of notes weaving through most pages. The final image of grandfather (revealed in the author's note to be the late Jerry Pinkney) and granddaughter ascending stairs made of books is a fitting tribute to their family legacy. The note also provides more details, including that Barlow was the model for Pinkney's picture book The Little Match Girl. Nicholl Denice MontgomeryJanuary/February 2026 p.54 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The author recalls time spent with her late grandfather, Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney (1939-2021), in his art studio. As a little girl, Pinkney Barlow relished her trips to her grandfather's atelier: "Music shimmies up the stairs. Thetrill,cheep,chirp of birdsong drifts through the open window, mixing with thebop,tap,clap of Grandad's jazz." The watercolor paints that Grandad uses are on enticing display. Grandad shows young Charnelle how to create watercolor washes, which she initially finds hard to use, and he gives her a sketchbook. As the pair make art together, Grandad imparts a key bit of indelible wisdom: "There is no right way." The child vows to "gather these memories and tuck them into my pocket," and she has indeed unearthed them to create this charmer. The text reads like a prose poem that will likely speak to older picture-book readers and their elders, but audiences of all ages will appreciate Pinkney Barlow's enchanting digitally tweaked mixed-media art. Colored pencil illustrations tie together cut-paper and found-object imagery, and all the careful layering sorely tempts the hand. An afterword includes two images that may be a revelation for readers: a photo of Pinkney Barlow as a 9-year-old posing as the Little Match Girl for her grandfather and a resulting sketch that seeded the illustration that Jerry Pinkney used in his celebrated adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story. An endearing tribute to a picture-book legend.(Picture-book memoir. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
