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trevoryan's review against another edition
4.0
ANOTHER brilliant little picture book about a fascinating outsider artist. The other is Mr. Cornell's Dream Boxes.
sausome's review against another edition
3.0
A large part of my rating this 3 stars, rather than 2, is that I just like that there is now a children's picture book referencing artist Joseph Cornell.
Also, it really bothers me that people keep referring to Joseph Cornell as "Joey" outside of the book. As far as I know, he really was NEVER called "Joey" - "Joe" or "Joseph" - and it really minimizes him as a serious artist, in my opinion. As a character in a children's picture book, he is "Joey". But outside of that, No. I wish the author had just called it "The Amazing Collection of Joe Cornell" - I think the kids could handle it.
However - the caveat that this is "based on Cornell's childhood" is a bit misleading, as we don't really know a lot about what Cornell's childhood was like. The aspect of his having a childhood show in his barn is interesting, but the details of what was shown is according to his sisters, and was not actually noted anywhere, aside from the single surviving ticket he made. And this piece of information comes from probably the most comprehensive biography about Cornell to date, which isn't even cited in the "Selected Bibliography," which I thought was odd. The book is, "Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell," by Deborah Solomon, re-released 2015.
I suppose his life and mind are a bit too esoteric to properly describe for children, and chronology doesn't necessarily matter for a children's book (here's where "based on the childhood of" bothers me).
The message of the book is that anyone can create, or try to, and who knows what the next bit of art will be. This, I like. I do wish the author had mentioned more about his love of squirreling himself away reading and also seeing films. I think these early years were more about those things than actual collecting, though he did love to get things from his Father's trips. More images of finished pieces to connect the themes within the book would have been nice (i.e. the "Aviary" series, homages to ballet, celestial boxes, etc.)
Also, it really bothers me that people keep referring to Joseph Cornell as "Joey" outside of the book. As far as I know, he really was NEVER called "Joey" - "Joe" or "Joseph" - and it really minimizes him as a serious artist, in my opinion. As a character in a children's picture book, he is "Joey". But outside of that, No. I wish the author had just called it "The Amazing Collection of Joe Cornell" - I think the kids could handle it.
However - the caveat that this is "based on Cornell's childhood" is a bit misleading, as we don't really know a lot about what Cornell's childhood was like. The aspect of his having a childhood show in his barn is interesting, but the details of what was shown is according to his sisters, and was not actually noted anywhere, aside from the single surviving ticket he made. And this piece of information comes from probably the most comprehensive biography about Cornell to date, which isn't even cited in the "Selected Bibliography," which I thought was odd. The book is, "Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell," by Deborah Solomon, re-released 2015.
I suppose his life and mind are a bit too esoteric to properly describe for children, and chronology doesn't necessarily matter for a children's book (here's where "based on the childhood of" bothers me).
The message of the book is that anyone can create, or try to, and who knows what the next bit of art will be. This, I like. I do wish the author had mentioned more about his love of squirreling himself away reading and also seeing films. I think these early years were more about those things than actual collecting, though he did love to get things from his Father's trips. More images of finished pieces to connect the themes within the book would have been nice (i.e. the "Aviary" series, homages to ballet, celestial boxes, etc.)
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely story about engaging the imagination gives an introduction to a lesser known artist. The illustrations are richly realistic.
lindseylush's review against another edition
5.0
Joseph Cornell said, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
This narrative biography about the childhood of artist Joseph Cornell is especially applicable as a children’s book since his work would later in life would also be meant for children.
The illustrations weren’t my favorite style, but did seem to fit the early 1900’s style, almost like Dick and Jane books -that’s what it reminded me of. The illustrator put the array of collected and scattered objects against a background of parallel lines that made each page look neatly arranged and organized- Im sure an intentional homage to Cornell’s work.
This narrative biography about the childhood of artist Joseph Cornell is especially applicable as a children’s book since his work would later in life would also be meant for children.
The illustrations weren’t my favorite style, but did seem to fit the early 1900’s style, almost like Dick and Jane books -that’s what it reminded me of. The illustrator put the array of collected and scattered objects against a background of parallel lines that made each page look neatly arranged and organized- Im sure an intentional homage to Cornell’s work.
tashrow's review
4.0
When Joey Cornell was a child, he collected all sorts of things that interested him. Both of his parents helped find small treasures for his collection. Year after year, his collection grew and grew as he added to it. There were bright colored feathers, butterfly wings, doll heads, leaves, a safe, and much more. After the death of his father, when he was thirteen, Joey began to spend even more time with his collection and began to put the objects together into new combinations. He showed his family the art he had created and continued to collect and create new magical art. Joseph Cornell became a famous artist known for his objects placed in small wooden boxes. The final pages of the book show some of the boxes and the incredible combinations he found of disparate objects that seem to belong together and tell a complete story.
Fleming writes this book with a focus on Cornell’s childhood and the collection he created even then. Her writing invites young collectors to explore and find their own voices. Dubois’ illustrations show the growing collection and young readers can see objects stay year after year and then appear in Cornell’s pieces. There is a strong sense of continuity in the book, a stretch of time held together by the collection and by Cornell himself. This is an entrancing and fascinating look at the childhood of a famous artist. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Fleming writes this book with a focus on Cornell’s childhood and the collection he created even then. Her writing invites young collectors to explore and find their own voices. Dubois’ illustrations show the growing collection and young readers can see objects stay year after year and then appear in Cornell’s pieces. There is a strong sense of continuity in the book, a stretch of time held together by the collection and by Cornell himself. This is an entrancing and fascinating look at the childhood of a famous artist. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
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