By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: October 24, 2011
Jeanne Walker Harvey
Jeanne Walker Harvey is the author of a fascinating new children’s book My Hands Sing the Blues which traces the childhood migration of young Romare Bearden as he leaves his grandparents in Charlotte, North Carolina and then moves to New York City to eventually become a great painter during the Harlem Renaissance. Her remarkable book is filled with striking collages and poetic, jazz-inspired lines that mimic perhaps what influenced Bearden most as an artist: his childhood home and music. Harvey is also the author of Astro the Steller Sea Lion and she blogs about children’s narrative nonfiction books at True Tales & A Cherry on Top. She lives in Marin County, California with her husband and an adorable black Lab who sleeps at her feet while she writes.
Nicki Richesin: Congratulations on your exquisite children’s book My Hands Sing the Blues. I fell in love with the dreamy artwork and your rhythmic poetic telling of Romare Bearden’s childhood story. I read that you were first inspired by Bearden’s paintings while working as a docent at the San Francisco Museum of Art. What about his artwork captivated you and moved you to create your book?
Jeanne Walker Havery: Thank you so much, Nicki, for your kind words. It’s truly been an amazing experience to be part of this creative journey. And I really appreciate the opportunity to be interviewed by you as I think The Children’s Book Review is a terrific site and resource for families, teachers, librarians AND writers!
Yes, my docenting work at SFMOMA is exactly what inspired me to write this book. I was giving tours to school groups of the comprehensive Romare Bearden’s exhibit organized by The National Gallery when I fell in love with his art. As a teller of stories, I loved that his paintings told stories, especially the stories of his childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. I found that I could hardly get the students to move on to the next painting in my tour because they were so engaged and drawn to his art, especially the huge vibrant collages. That’s when I decided that I would love to write a picture book about Bearden and the “people and the places” of his Charlotte childhood which he said was such an inspiration for his art.
Although Romare Bearden worked in different media, how important was it to you that the illustrator Add a Comment