Customer Reviews

Uncle Andy's (Picture Puffin Books)

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With all the great picture books out there, it's no wonder that one or two fall through the cracks. I was very partial to "Uncle Andy's" when it came out last year, but no one seemed to pay it any mind. And this is a real shame when you sit down to look at it. Imagine, if you will, being related to one of the hippest New York artists working in the Pop Art scene. James Warhola has taken one of his childhood experiences and woven it into a faabbbulous story about visiting his rather well known uncle, Andy Warhol.

Living with his family in the countryside just a little ways from Pittsburgh, James Warhola always looked forward to the regular trips to Uncle Andy's. James's father was Andy's eldest brother, and worked in a junkyard. Always taking Andy a couple choice junk pieces, the family would pile into their station wagon and make the trip to visit Andy and their Grandmother Bubba. Once there, Andy's home was a kid's dream house. It was filled with crazy junk, pop art, and millions of different peculiar odds n' ends. It had twenty-five cats (all named Sam), paint by number paintings, wigs, art, you name it. Warhola goes on to recount some amusing problems that would arise from staying with Andy. For example, Andy was prone to staying out late partying and then sleeping in. One morning, James's little sister Maddie got tired of waiting for Andy to wake up so she walked right in. The house was pierced with a shriek (on the part of Andy) when it was clear that he hadn't put his wig on yet. James then goes on to explain that everyone in the family knew that Andy was bald, and that once Andy sent a box of his old wigs to his brother, allowing the family to goof around and try them all on. In the end the family would usually leave in the early morning when Andy was asleep, but he'd always leave a box of gifts for the kids by the front door to take home with them.

There's something so bizarre about this story that it makes perfect sense. For anyone doubting the possibility that Andy Warhol (he dropped the extra "a" from the end of his name when he moved to New York) would have country nieces and nephews, you need only look at a photograph supplied on the back book flap. There, beside two clean-cut early 1960s youngsters grins a devilish Andy Warhol, sunglasses and white wig intact. The authenticity of the tale doesn't stop there, however. Warhola has a wonderful sense of detail and intricacy that help him to tell his story well. When little James wakes up in a makeshift bed (a door set atop four strategically placed paint cans) he finds himself in a room filled with junk, art, and scattered clothing. There are Fantastic Four comic books and cats perched in every nook and cranny. Every picture in this book has at least fifty different tiny details and moments in it that make it worth rereading again and again.

So let's say you want to introduce your children to the great artists of the 20th century, but the last thing you want to do is to bore them. "Uncle Andy's" is not only the perfect choice, it is the ONLY choice in many respects. You can keep your Jasper Johns and Sally Manns to yourself. I'm an Andy fan through and through. And unlike other biographies of artists, this book is remarkable because it is:

a) A true story
b) A tale in the vein of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You know. The mysterious proprietor and his amazing collection of wonders and marvels.
c) Well illustrated and well written.

There are other reasons to read this book to your kids (or to have them read it to you) but I think the ones I've listed should be sufficient. There may have been only one Andy Warhol, but he was a heckuva uncle and friend to his nieces and nephews. Take a little time to read something a little wild and I guarantee you'll enjoy it. That goes double for your kids.

I was drawn to this book due to its wonderful drawings and the first page that said something about a junk yard... only when I brought the book home I learned that the wonderful drawings were no coincidence as we soon understand - and nor is the junkyard connection.
My son was immediately hooked and has asked me to read this story for the past three nights in a row. There are many things to like about this book: the large eccentric family (where the eccentric uncle fits like a glove), the very rich drawings that have you checking details on every page, and the interesting different story which seems to appeal to all ages.
There are many things to look for when reading the book together and our favorite page seems to be the one showing Uncle Andy's house "which is like an amusement park". What occupies us is our search for the twenty-five cats ("all named Sam"). Mysteriously we can only find twenty-four cats and are still looking for the missing Sam. We also have many other questions and wonders such as "Can't Bubba cook anything other then Salami and Cheese"? (that's the mother asking) and "What job did Uncle Andy assign to the young members of the family"? (that's the child asking).
The story has a very inherent artistic philosophy (art is everywhere and can be found everywhere) which is very easily understood by children and seems to perfectly suit their way of thinking. Also a lot of legitimacy to any kind of "art".

The early dispatches are correct - but they tell only half the story. Yes, writer-illustrator Jamie Warhola (nephew of Andy) has brought both his talents to bear on a children's storybook that will please and surprise Warhol's adult fans. Yes, it is any child's ideal introduction to the world of art-making: the messy stuff of art - drips, stretched canvasses, the junk of life that can inspire. Unlike other Warhol books, there is little about opening-night hype, superstars, or the impenetrable sophistries of critics and historians. And yet: this, in its own way, adds to art history. For example: Was there another significant artist in the family? Did Paul Warhola, Andy's brother, have some weird intuition about the importance of the commonplace years, even decades, before Andy's infamous soupcans at the Ferus Gallery? So it would seem (see opening pages); and so we are apprised of new alleyways, new influences on Warhol barely mentioned by Bokris, Bourdon, Guiles and other standard biographies. Jamie Warhola's style of illustration is detailed, colourful, incident-filled and affectionate. It is as much memorial vanitas as record or memoire - a superb, child's eye portrait of someone who, like a child, brought a fresh eye. James ("Jamie") Warhola has brought just that to this portrait of his famous uncle. A classic.

From the arresting illo of a young child mimicking one of the world's most recognizable artists, this book is a treat and a treasure. James Warhola and his family are as far apart as can be from Uncle Andy, world famous artist, Pope of a following of gay hustlers, junkies, drag queens, socialites, and rock stars...or are they?

Uncle Andy to his family comes off as being more cute than threatening, with 25 cats named Sam, a house full of neat junk, and zillions of funny wigs. He's not even the only artist in the family! This is one sweet book. I kid you not

Over the river and through the tunnels, to Uncle Andy's house we go! It's 1962, and the Seven Warhola (Uncle Andy dropped the last "a") children their junk dealin' daddy & momma from rural PA are off to see the Wizard of Pop Art and the Grandmother Bubba in NYC.

This book and its eye-popping illustrations are So Cool! Boomers and their grandchildren will "wig out" over the kids waking Uncle Andy too early once upon a morning after.

Warhola the nephew, artist and writer did time illustrating MAD magazine and some of the delightful illustrations show that influence. The near center doozy of waking up amongst the soup, fruit, and corn flake boxes is totally awesome too.

What a Great Trip! TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

DONNA BERRY HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO.
We all remember or have a favorite Uncle...but to have Andy Warhol as one is a special treat. Andy's 7 energetic nieces and nephews lived for the days when their dad would announce that they were to quickly pack up their clothes so they could go visit Uncle Andy in New York City. The children knew that Andy would be going out to party with his movie star friends in the evenings, and this would give them ample time to play with his twenty-five cats and search through all the treasures and "stuff" he kept around the house for inspirational painting. This is a must read book for both children and adults. It will stir up pleasant memories from your own childhood and give your children plenty to laugh about.

Uncle Andy's is a wondrously presented picture book story for young readers about what it was like to have the famous artist Andy Warhol for an uncle. Written and illustrated in full-color by James Warhola (Andy Warhol's nephew), this thoroughly delightful, unique, and recommended storybook recounts from memory the whimsy and eye-opening insights of seeing works of art in progress, -- often crafted from the most ordinary of humble objects.

"Uncle Andy's" isn't realy about Andy Warhol. It's about a boy who has a wacky uncle who lives in a wacky home and does wacky things. It reminds me of the movie "Unsung Heroes" with Mike Richards and Andie McDowel, where a boy retreats to his offbeat uncles in the 1960's.

James Warhola lived with his HUGE family in rural Pennsylvania, where his father is a (happy) junkman. They take trips to New York, where they crash at Uncle Andy's brownstone. The place is like a funhouse, full of cast-off tchotchkes and Andy's wierd art. They spend their time helping Andy with his paintings, exploring the house, and playing with his 20 cats. What kid wouldn't want to visit a place like this?

When I did a school project on Warhol at age 16 I was fascinated by this guy, but I wondered what it would be like to have him for a relative. Did he behave around his family the way he did with the press? The answer is YES, but that's what makes it so humorous. People say he hid under a wig and glasses, but Andy gives them all his old wigs to play with, and that's a funny twist on his personality; he made no secret of what he did with himself.

Some critics say that in truth, Andy's mother was bipolar and lived in the basement, smoking and drinking all day. We'll never know how he realy felt about the arrival of these country mice to his townhouse, but from the boy's perspective, the guy's cool. Uncle Andy's Place is the ultimate children's book about a wierd relative. I'm not as eccentric as Warhol, but I bought my nephews this book, and after 3 years they love to read it again and again.

As a professional artist, I can relate to those early childhood experiences that fostered and led me into my career in art. What a wonderful gift for a child. My niece loved it!!!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was cute and the artwork was really great to look at.