- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (Feb 6 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1556702884
- ISBN-13: 978-1556702884
- Product Dimensions: 30.1 x 25.1 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 499 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#19,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Nursery Rhymes > General AAS
- #18 in Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Nursery Rhymes > General
- #59 in Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Boyers, a TV producer and art collector, deserves a standing ovation for her performance in pairing Angelou's poem with abstract paintings by the late Basquiat. "Dragons breathing flame / On my counterpane / That doesn't frighten me at all. / I go boo / Make them shoo / I make fun / Way they run / I won't cry / So they fly"--had it been teamed with representational or whimsical illustrations, the verse might well have lost its dignity; instead, the proximity of Basquiat's edgy, streetwise pictures adds even greater power and authenticity to Angelou's refrain, "Life doesn't frighten me at all." Conversely, the affirming quality of the poem mediates Basquiat's disquieting urban images. Basquiat's first works were drawn onto the walls of Manhattan buildings, and the frenzied, sometimes angry compositions here have the rawness of graffiti. The reproductions invite close scrutiny, implicitly teaching the viewer a way of approaching contemporary art and reinforcing the tough beauty of the poem. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-A unique book that combines the words of a renowned African-American poet laureate and the primitive, modern paintings of a young Haitian-American artist. With lines of verse that shout exuberantly from each page, a young voice rails against any and all things that mean to do her harm. Whether they are "Shadows on the wall/ Noises down the hall" or even "Mean old Mother Goose/Lions on the loose"-to one and all she responds- "they don't frighten me at all." In the middle, the pace and intensity quicken as "I go boo/Make them shoo/I make fun/Way they run." Despite the scary things around her, the poet's determined courage remains. The art provides a jolting counterpoint to the optimistic words, reflecting a dark, intense vision. Violent splashes of color bleed and drip one into another, and white letters are scratched into black backgrounds. Stark figures with grotesque features face off against one another. Symbols such as arrows, birds, crowns, and letters emphasize the artist's anger and sense of irony. The choice of the paintings, taken as they were from an extant body of work, give levels of meanings to a poem already strong with images of its own. A powerful exploration of emotion and its expression through the careful blend of words and art.
Jane Marino, White Plains Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Jane Marino, White Plains Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
But The Pictures In This Book Did,
By Chuckela "chuckela" (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Life Doesn't Frighten Me (Hardcover)
While life may not scare me, the pictures in this book did. Perhaps had I been familiar with Basquiat's work I would not have ordered the book in the first place. But I also thought the poem was a bit oversold by some of the other reviews I read. The poem itself is only a few lines long, while the book is more like 20 pages or so. Several more pages are taken up with bios of Angelou and Basquiat. Mainly, the pictures are ugly and seem to me to be completely unaccessible to a child.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nourish your child's intellect... cautiously,
By Dave Deubler (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Life Doesn't Frighten Me (Hardcover)
As an adult and a student, I was truly enchanted by this unique concatenation of Maya Angelou's spirited, optimistic poetry and Jean-Michel Basquiat's bold, explosive paintings. "Life" is less a story than an affirmation - the child narrator (whose gender is left to the imagination) lists a dozen or so items that could be causes for concern in young child's mind, but then conquers these fears with "They don't frighten me at all." Equally impressive are the brief, but detailed biographical sketches of both artists that closes the book.My only reservation lies in the question "Who is this book really for?" While Basquiat's dynamic use of line and color and space make for fascinating pictures, and his style is consciously influenced by the artwork of Native Americans and small children, his habitual use of skeletal imagery and jagged, leering facial expressions might prove too intense for little ones. On the other hand, the beautiful simplicity of Angelou's poetry will probably fail to appeal to kids who are experienced enough to expect a certain level of plot in their reading. My advice to parents is this: don't give this book to your kids - buy it for yourselves, and keep it someplace where it won't get all trashed up by dirty little hands. When you think they're ready, let your youngsters look at this book with you, so if the pictures should strike them the wrong way, you'll be there for them. Better not do this at bedtime until you're sure how they'll react - this could be the stuff nightmares are made of. But even if they love it, hang on to the book yourself, so that in a couple of years when your child loses interest (they may begin to see it as a "baby book"), you'll still have a beautiful coffee-table book of post-modernist art to share with your friends. And eventually, your kids might grow up into little intellectuals who can see what a delightful creation this book really is. It may not be perfect for anyone, but it certainly has something for everyone.
5.0 out of 5 stars
even 1st graders LOVE this book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Life Doesn't Frighten Me (Hardcover)
I'm a first year, first grade teacher. And before I started teaching I had owned this book for about 6 years. I recently read it to my students and they loved it. One of my students wanted to read it on her own & even read Maya's bio in the back and took notes in her journal so she could read more of Maya's work. This is a great book for adults and children! Basquiat's artwork is very interesting [and childlike] and did not scare the children. Children are exposed to a very violent world on virtually a daily basis and this book helps them cope. p.s. I read this book when the Iraq war started.
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