Monday, April 29, 2013

Kadir Nelson

Profile:
    • He was born in Washington, D.C. and is currently living in San Diego, CA with his wife and two daughters.

    • He began drawing at the age of three and studied under his uncle who was an artist and art teacher.

    • American- award winning artist and his work has been shown in major national and international publications, galleries, institutions, and museums. 

    • Other awards he has won are the 2009 Sibert Medal for We Are the Ship, a Coretta Scott King Award for Ellington Was Not a Street, written by Ntozake Shange, and the NAACP Image Award for Just the Two of Us, written by Will Smith. 

    • He has done many drawings for large companies like Coca-Cola.

    • Nelson worked for Dreamworks SKG where he worked as a visual development artist creating concept artwork for films Amistad and Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron.

    • He has written some books and did the paintings, but in others he just did the paintings for the author
Quotes:
    • “Be present in your work because kids live in the moment, so as soon as you’re not in the present, you’re not being authentic.” – Kadir Nelson, BBF, October 27th, 2012.
    • “My purpose is to create a mirror for the reader to see themselves, to create a light for people to see themselves in the characters, pictures, and stories. So they resonate.” –   Kadir Nelson, BBF, October 27th, 2012.
Authors Major Works:
  • Books:
    • He’s got the Whole World in his Hands
      • Summary: This book talks about the different things like the moon, rivers, mountain, etc. that he has in his hands. This is a sing-a-long book for children and it comes with music notes. It shows the different things that people deal with throughout their days.
      • Reaction: Kadir did a great job with writing and illustrating this book. The illustrations show great detail in the different things that this African American boy does throughout his days. It talks about the different things that he has “in his hands”. I think this is a great book to read to students and then have them sing-a-long and come up with different verses to put into it. 

    • Heart and Soul
      • Summary: This story is a simple introduction to African-American history, from slavery up to the election of President Obama. Some other topics that are talked about in this book are the Declaration of Independence and abolition. Those are just two, but there are many many more. This is a longer book, and is mix of a chapter book and picture book.
      • Reaction: I didn’t really the whole book, I did skim through some of it, and other parts I read more in-depth. This book does a great job of marking important parts in African-American history, and the picture Kadir painted for this book are fabulous. This would be a great resource for students wanting to know more information about African-American History. What is really nice is that it goes up to President Obama so this book has value for current achievements for African-Americans.

         Kadir Nelson talks about the heart and soul 
        of the book Heart and Soul

    • Henry’s Freedom Box
      • Summary: Henry is a slave for his master, that does a very good job. Henry doesn't know his birthday because they don't keep track of slaves birthday’s. Henry was split from his family and had to go work in a warehouse. When Henry gets older, he marries a nice young woman but then his family is split up when they are sold at the market. When continuing to work in the warehouse, he decided that he was going to box himself in the box and get shipped to freedom. When Henry arrives, he then has a birthday because that is the day he became free.
      • Reaction: Kadir was the illustrator of this book and really showed what was going on through his illustrations. He captured the most important things like getting in the box in great detail. If you wanted to read this story without words, you can definitely get the gist of what is going on. Kadir did a great job of showing the emotion of Henry when different things were happening. 

    • We are the Ship
      • Summary: "We are the ship; all else the sea."-Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The voice is so authentic, you will feel as if you are sitting on dusty bleachers listening intently to the memories of a man who has known the great ballplayers of that time and shared their experiences. But what makes this book so outstanding are the dozens of full-page and double-page oil paintings-breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game. "We Are the Ship" is a tour de force for baseball lovers of all ages.
      • Reaction: The point of this book was to capture the the reality of the Negro League many years ago. the pictures are as authentic as Kadir Nelson could create them. He wanted to make sure he did the league justice through his pictures in this book. The book truly captures the highlights of the league. Each part of this book represents the information he had collected, from the pictures to the title.
Two talks over the background 
of the story We Are the Ship
 
    • Nelson Mandela
      • Summary: This story is a biography about Nelson Mandela's life. It begins with his father dying when Nelson was young and his mother takes him to live a chief. It talks about all the hardships he overcame to become the man he wanted to be. He starts by becoming a lawyer and political activist, and is eventually elected president of ANC and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He later then becomes the first black president of South Africa.
      • Reaction: This book does a great job of telling Nelson Mandela’s story in a way that makes it easy for children to read and understand. It still shows all of his accomplishments despite his hardships throughout life. It does a great job of portraying how it is important to fight for what you believe in. Kadir does a great job of portraying this story through not only words, but beautiful pictures to help show the story.

    • Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
      • Summary: Lyrical text describes Harriet Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her North to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of slavery. This is a moving portrait of one of the most inspiring figures of the Underground Railroad--a woman who would take 19 subsequent trips back South without being caught.
      • Reaction: This book is written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. This book looks towards a person's strength of how to overcome hardships in life. The book mainly captures Harriets inner thoughts and struggles through this journey were Kadir is able to capture through his drawing. Since he is the illustrator it is an easy way to focus on how pictures can capture a thought, feeling or situation.

    • Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit

  • Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
    • Under the Christmas tree, by Nikki Grimes
    • The Village that Vanished, by Ann Grifalconi
    • Thunder Rose, by Jerdine Nolen
    • Testing the Ice: A True Story about Jackie Robinson, by Sharon Robinson
    • Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, by Deloris Jordan with Roslyn M. Jordan
    • Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya, by Donna Jo Napoli
    • Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life, by Jerdine Nolen
    • Ellington was not a Street, by Ntozake Shange
    • Coretta Scott, poetry by Ntozake Shange
    • Big Jabe, by Jerdine Nolen
    • Abe's Honest Words : The Life of Abraham Lincoln, by Doreen Rappaport
    • Joe Louis: A Nation’s Hope the Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, by Matt de la Peña
Art:
Kadir Nelson has also created many works of art that can be browsed at this site.

Sources:

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