Art belongs to everyone, and artistic inspiration can strike anywhere — whether it’s in a family band, a school play or a glimpse of an eye-catching billboard. These loving biographies of groundbreaking woman artists capture their youthful beginnings, playfulness and drive to create, even in times when their art wasn’t considered “women’s work.” Dive into these gorgeously illustrated explorations of the lives of female artists — and let them encourage your own creativity.
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“The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!” by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Susanna Chapman. (Ages 7-9. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)
Viola Smith might not have planned to play the drums. But in her family’s jazz band, it was the only instrument that wasn’t taken, so she gave it a try — and it was love at first CRASH. “She lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun than she’d ever had before!”
Bold, flashy and dedicated to learning more about her accidental instrument, Viola kept drumming when the rest of the family dropped out of the band — even though the idea of a female jazz drummer seemed out of sync with 1930s attitudes. Undeterred, she launched a band with female musicians — The Coquettes — and put her skills on display, mounting her massive drum kit on a platform and showcasing her flash with flying drumsticks.
Not content with her own success, she lobbied during World War II for established bands to give “girl musicians” a break, continued to study music, launched a solo act with an even more spectacular drum kit, and learned to play in symphony orchestras as well.
Paired with Dean Robbins’ thoughtful text, Susanna Chapman’s kinetic illustrations capture the whiz-bang enthusiasm and power of Smith’s drumming, bringing glorious life to the story of a woman who played her own beat from age 13 to 107.
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“Lucy! How Lucille Ball Did It All” by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, illustrated by Brigette Barrager. (Ages 4-8. Abrams. $19.99.)
On Monday nights at 9, Lucille Ball did it all: She broke television barriers with a massive hit show that she starred in and produced, creating a comedy legacy that’s still inspiring people today. But it didn’t come easy. When she was a sassy, silly, attention-seeking child, “girls weren’t allowed to be loud, and they weren’t supposed to be funny.”
Through the ups and down of her youth, including her father’s death, financial struggle, school plays, and trips to vaudeville shows, Lucy nurtured a dream of performing — even though acting school and her early bit parts didn’t capture her special comedic gifts. She pushed and pushed, through dozens of movies, studying comedy, dyeing her hair its signature red to stand out in Technicolor — until she muscled a wise-acre role in a radio comedy into a groundbreaking entertainment deal, heading her own TV studio and starring in her own show, “I Love Lucy.” The rest, of course, is hilarious history.
Brigette Barrager’s watercolor ink illustrations, with pops of color (like Lucy’s hair) highlight the effervescent nature of Lucille Ball’s star quality, and an afterword digs deeper into Ball’s pioneering work as the queen of comedy.
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“Signs of Hope: The Revolutionary Art of Sister Corita Kent” by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. (Ages 4-8. Abrams. $19.99.)
A “fearless explorer” of art, Sister Corita Kent, the ’60s-era “Pop Art nun,” preached a message of embracing the beautiful details of everyday life. “She sees nothing ordinary, nothing ugly,” and her vibrant prints were as big, bright and loud as she was quiet and thoughtful.
Packed with collage art reflecting the nun’s own work, this colorful biography is filled with quotations from Sister Corita’s ministry of peace, equality, art, love and joy. This tribute includes an author’s note and timeline at the end tracking her place in ’60s history and her eventual departure from her religious order to continue her artwork.
Bursting with encouraging words and rainbow colors — like her version of the U.S. Postal Service “love” stamp — it’s a love letter to a surprising artist who “taught us how to SEE and play and protest joyfully, to make art all our lives and to make our lives ART.”
Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com
