ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

This profile of pop artist Andy Warhol uses a first-person interview format that spotlights selected significant works as well as Warhol's views on life and art. Mack notes Warhol's artistic beginnings drawing shoes; his close relationship with his mother; his penchant for wigs; his prints highlighting Campbell soups, Marilyn Monroe, and Brillo pad boxes; and his fascination with the media of his time lms, television, magazines, and rock records. The text remains conversational throughout, allowing Warhol's personality to emerge: "I think art is about liking things. It's about seeing the things around us in a new way. Seeing them as pretty. Everything is pretty. Don't you think?" Mack's mixed-media and digital artwork employs a variety of techniques (cartoon drawings, textured objects, bright colors, collaged figures, text balloons, and repeated images) and recalls Warhol's style while allowing his own craft to shine. Sometimes text is incorporated into the art, as when multiple television screens display one word or image each, or when text appears on Times Square marquees. An informative introduction, sure to please aspiring artists.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Part biography, part cheeky course in art appreciation, part conversation starter, this playful picture book looks at the nature of art through the lens of Andy Warhol's work. The first-person text adopts a slightly childlike version of Warhol's voice, addressing the reader directly: "Oh, hello. I'm Andy." Then it launches into the story of Warhol's career, starting with his commercial illustration ("Once upon a time I drew shoes") and progressing through his well-known artworks (think soup cans and Brillo boxes) and forays into other media (film, magazines, rock music). At several points, the narrative pauses to pose rhetorical questions ("What does a real artist look like anyway?") and provide wry asides ("I guess I just wanted to be different"), which lends the tale an offbeat and conversational tone. The text also takes note of the bafflement and critical censure that was sometimes engendered by Warhol's art; and it concludes by slyly imagining his reaction to social media ("We will all like each other over and over again"). Mack's (Moose, Goose, and Mouse, rev. 1/21) digital and mixed-media illustrations recall the vibrant colors of his subject's art, with blurred edges and smudges bringing to mind traditional printmaking techniques. The rhythm of the text also echoes Warhol's enthusiasm for mass production, with repeated words ("shoe shoe shoe shoe shoe") interspersed with matching repeated images. An author's note is appended. Pair with James Warhola's Uncle Andy's (rev. 3/03). K Rachael Stein

Kirkus Reviews

Readers can explore just what makes art art with Andy Warhol.A fictional Andy Warhol discusses career highlights as he introduces readers to the existential question "What is art?" The story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion with loose-lined illustrations of Warhol's life. Early on the artist asks readers: "What does a real artist look like anyway?" From there, the story veers from career highlight to career highlight, hitting the Campbell's Soup series, the Marilyn Monroe silkscreens, the Velvet Underground (not mentioned by name), and Interview magazine. Along the way, the fictional Andy challenges readers to consider the paradigms of fame, art, and celebrity. It's a cool challenge, but it's also one that may be a little too hip and a little too glib for readers. Like the real Warhol, the book drops names without explanation and then flits on to a different topic as if it's a little bored with the old one. The short, blasé sentences and questions to readers that assume answers combine into a slightly condescending tone that might be very Warhol but isn't very engaging in a biography section. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Andy Warhol once said, "I am a deeply superficial person," and he sure comes across that way. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 8-10)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this archly appreciative picture book biography, Mack channels Andy Warhol-s (1928-1987) aggressively vapid, relentlessly enthusiastic voice: -Oh, hello. I-m Andy. This is the story of my art. I hope you like it.- The subject narrates his career from his beginnings in commercial art, drawing so many shoes that -I felt like a robot in a factory. It was SO cool,- to his pop art breakthrough: -I drew this. Isn-t it pretty? It-s soup. Do you like soup? We all like soup.- As Warhol-s practice expands into silk screens, film, music, magazines, and television, Mack weaves in iconic details-Warhol-s penchant for wigs, collaboration, and mother-and sums up his worldview: -I think art is about liking things. It-s about seeing the things around us in a new way. Seeing them as pretty. EVERYTHING is pretty. Don-t you think?- Brushy artwork, benday-dot texture, and bright blotched color offer an age-appropriate taste of the Factory. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

K-Gr 2 This illustrated biography will engage readers with its conversational, first-person narration about what inspired Warhol's artistry and what art can be. A drawn figure of Warhol, who ages as the book progresses, speaks directly to his audience as he prompts them with questions about the nature of art, noting how personal enjoyment of everyday things matters and fame is a disputed factor. Though the term Pop Art and its associated art techniques are not specifically named until the end note, the core concepts defining this movement are presented in the form of illustrated representations of Warhol's creations, as well as repeated words, portrait frames, and pictorial sequences that reflect his attention to pop culture and advertising. With relatable words, such as how anything can be "pretty" and "cool," the narrative builds a simple, unexplored but noticeable cycle about the critical opposition Warhol faced about his artwork and how he challenged relationships among fame, art media, and perceptions of art. Deliberate use of black-outlined forms, bold colors, and scattered elements showcase the visual effects of collage and screen printing. Mack's illustrations coordinate with his depictions of Warhol's most renowned works and distinct use of different art media. VERDICT Ideal for the art classroom and in-class discussion, this friendly introduction to Warhol's artistic inspirations, loosely framed around a biographical narrative, will spark curiosity in early elementary listeners as they brush through big questions about art and fame.Rachel Mulligan, Westampton, NJ