Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

By: Javaka Steptoe

"Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message that art doesn't always have to be neat or clean--and definitely not inside the lines--to be beautiful."

Awards:

• Randolph Caldecott Medal

• Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

• CCBC Choices Book of 2017

Discussion Questions:

• Javaka Steptoe tells the story of an artist that inspired him in this book. Who inspires you? How would you tell their story?

• Jean-Michel Basquiat was inspired by the world around him and used found objects to create art. Look around your environment. What could be made into art?

• Javaka Steptoe and Jean-Michel Basquiat both dreamed of being artists. What is your dream?

• What is art?

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