Customer Reviews

Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw

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Wanda Hazel Gág, the oldest of seven children in a happy home, delighted in watching her talented father paint in his studio and hearing her worldly mother tell German fairy tales at bedtime. Wanda had already developed a passion and talent for drawing at a young age, and she dreamed of going to art school. Unfortunately her Papa contracted tuberculosis, and Wanda had no choice but to drop out of high school for a while so she could help her Mama with childcare and housework. The family fell into poverty when Papa died and Mama struggled with exhaustion, leaving Wanda, at the age of fifteen, as the primary breadwinner.

Just as Wanda lived to draw, she also drew to live, and earnings from art competitions, craft sales, and publications helped to supplement the family's meager welfare payments. Despite the difficult times, Wanda pushed herself to finish high school. Her dream to study art came true with a full scholarship at a Minnesota art school, an opportunity she could pursue now that two of her siblings were old enough to support the family.

Wanda prospered as an artist and earned critical acclaim for her watercolors, drawings, and lithographs. She also gained notice from a children's book editor, who asked her in 1928 to write a story. The resulting project, Millions of Cats, won a Newbery Honor for its unique text and illustrations, and it set a new standard for children's picture books. Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw does a superb job in combining lessons of artistic creativity with economic hardship; this book is sure to inform and entertain a wide readership.

This is a nice picture book biography portrait of the author/illustrator of the beloved Caldecott winner Millions of Cats. Wanda Hazel Gág had a very hard life, losing her father to tuberculosis at age 15. Despite the hardships, she managed to support her six younger sisters on an artist's salary, retaining her cheerful disposition. Her exposure to German fairy tales, and cozy family times inspired a lot of the tone and feel of her picture books.

I think Ray may have exaggerated with the claim that Millions of Cats (first published in 1928) was "the first modern picture book." What about Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit (1902)? Randolph Caldecott's The Diverting History of John Gilpin (1878), although it is in a now-familiar picture book layout, might be debatable as a "true" picture book since the storyline, about a drunken horse ride by the title character could arguably said to appeal to adults more than children. Nevertheless, it is the very book that inspired the Caldecott award which Gág was to later win. I also wondered about the claim that Gág invented double-page spread illustrations. Interestingly, the mixed media full-color soft charcoal illustrations in this biography were all single page, with accompanying wordy text opposite. These minor quibbles aside, this is a lovely book, and serves as a rallying call to anybody who has ever wanted to make a life for themselves in the arts.

My husband has always loved to read. Our son loves art
so this was a natural choice for him It is a super
book and very great artwork.