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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
He never got his picture on bubblegum cards, did he?, April 20, 2010
This review is from: Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz (Hardcover)
Sitting in the biography section of my children's room are crisp, new, clean, pristine biographies of all sorts of people. Saints and sailors, presidents and queens, you name it. We got `em. But roundabout the "sch" side of things lies an old autobiography circa 1980. It's called "Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Me : And All the Other Peanuts Characters." by Charles M. Schulz with R. Smith Kiliper. I think that back in the day my library had tons of copies of this title in all the library branches, but due to the sheer amount of use that number has dwindled down to a measly two copies. The worst part is that we can't get rid of them either! This is the only Charles Schulz biography for kids out there and by gum we're going to keep it until it falls apart . . . or until we see something better. Enter "Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz". Author Beverly Gherman has, probably unbeknownst to her, answered my prayers. A biography that is not only necessary and desirable but also beautifully designed and fun to read, kids who have never even heard of "Peanuts" (and they exist) will be inclined to read about this shy Minnesota boy who went on to become a war hero and America's most successful comic strip artist.
Born November 26, 1922, Charles Monroe Schulz grew up a shy, bespectacled boy when a penchant for drawing. His nickname "Sparky" turned out to be almost portentous, coming as it did from a horse in the comic strip "Barney Google". After graduating from art school he served in the army with distinction. After that he started drawing cartoons and one in particular, a comic strip with a title he never really liked, took off. "Sparky" is the story of the man behind "Peanuts" and not the story of the strip alone. Still, by looking at Mr. Schulz's life, kids can see how art is influenced by experience, even when the person doing the drawing can't see how much of their life escapes through their pen.
Kids read biographies for a variety of different reasons. They're given a biographical assignment or they have to research a certain person at a certain time. The kids I like are the ones who have an interest in reading up on famous figures that touch them in some way just for fun. And Charles Schulz, like it or lump it, is one such fella. We have biographies of Walt Disney and Jim Henson in our children's rooms. Why not Charles Schulz? The thing is, "Sparky" is heads and tales better than any of those Disney/Henson bios (at least for now). It knows how to make its subject palatable, and it's complemented by a well designed text that gives you enough "Peanuts" comic strips and photographs to keep you interested, but not so many that they distract from the story of Sparky's life.
A couple years ago a very different Charles Schulz biography came out. Called "Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography", author David Michaelis was writing for adults and so made no bones about some of the unhappier episodes on Sparky's life. Readers of that book might be baffled as to how such a man could be honestly portrayed in a children's biography. Gherman doesn't shrink from the prospect, and neither does she paint Schulz's existence as a never-ending series of puffy pink clouds and rainbows. We live in an age when a children's biography can show the complexity of its subject without dwelling on the gory details of adulthood. So it is that we learn about the "Little Redheaded Girl" who jilted Sparky, his divorce from his first wife, and his childhood shyness and unhappiness at times. On the flip side, no mention is made of Michaelis's contention that Sparky's mother was domineering. The loss is not keenly felt. Indeed, you get the feeling that there is little speculation going on in this book. Gherman has chosen to pull from a variety of sources, including Michaelis, and rounds out her research with the archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, as well as interviews with Jeannie Schulz (second wife), Monte Schulz (son), Amy Schulz Johnson (daughter), and Jill Schulz Transki (daughter). The result is a biography compelling in its openness and honesty.
Insofar as I can tell, the publication page seems to be saying that one Jennifer Bostic of Paper Plane Studio did the design of this book. If this is true, can someone go on out and buy Jennifer Bostic some kind of big shiny award or something? Designers come and designers go but coming up with a design for a children's biography that pleases the adult gatekeepers and is enjoyable enough to be read by the small fry voluntarily is no walk in the park. On top of that, it does an excellent job with the large font. Though it comes in at 128 pages, the book really isn't that long. And with the visual elements and colors constantly shifting, it's anything but a dry read. A page of white text on blue paper can turn to yellow text on green paper with the flip of a page and for some reason it doesn't jar the reader's senses. Add in all the photographs, Peanuts strips, and old drawings and you've a book any kid would be mighty pleased to read. The design fits the subject matter.
I'm reminded of the power of "Peanuts" any time I try to read the very first one and not laugh out loud. "Good ol' Charlie Brown . . . How I hate him." Hate Charlie Brown if you must, but hating Charles Schulz would take some doing. Kids looking for a book about the "Peanuts" comic strips won't find a book that's all about Snoopy or anything like that. This is just the story of a cartoonist. An artist that all kids can appreciate and maybe hope to become. Good writing, good images, good design, good deal. A bio too long in coming. Let's hope that there are more of its ilk coming down the pike.
Ages 8 and up.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great biography -- Works on a kid and adult level, September 5, 2010
This review is from: Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz (Hardcover)
One of my grade school-aged daughters read "Sparky" on her own, and so loved the book, that she suggested I read it. I read it out loud to her younger sister. We both loved the book. The story of an artist, "Sparky" was a very inspirational book for my daughters. They loved how early failures and frustrations never stopped Mr. Schulz from pursuing his dreams. On page after page, the author brings Sparky's story vividly to life. The writing is intelligent (simple enough for children, but never condescending). The old photographs and original drawings further accent the book.
I also need to point out that the author doesn't shy away from the difficult parts of Mr. Schulz's life (war, his mother's death, etc.). However, these aspects of Sparky's life are simply and directly handled in such a graceful manner that these difficult events did not disturb my usually very sensitive children. Kudos!
Finally, the design of the book is beautiful.
Highly recommended on all counts!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
a terrific new biography of Schulz for Peanuts fans of all ages, July 26, 2010
This review is from: Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz (Hardcover)
Like so many millions around the world, I grew up reading Peanuts, perhaps the most beloved comic strip ever. So I was excited to learn of a new biography of this comic book icon for young people. Beverly Gherman's book is sure to find a place on library shelves everywhere, and is a must-have for Peanuts fans as well.
Gherman's book, at 125 pages, provides enough biographical information to be useful for school reports, but the striking layout and graphic design, along with the abundant illustrations, make it a relatively quick book to read, even for the youngest comic fans. Personally, I learned many interesting facts about Schulz from this book. Born in 1922, he was nicknamed Sparky before he was a week old, a suitable nickname as it turned out since Sparky was a character (a "sad-eyed horse") from the then-popular comic strip Barney Google.
Sparky never wanted to be anything but a cartoonist from early childhood, and always had a pencil or paper handy for a quick sketch. Gherman intersperses the text with Peanuts cartoons that match the topic; for example, while talking about Sparky's father's barber shop, we read on the opposite page a strip about Peppermint Patty visiting a barber shop. The book also features many personal photographs from the archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum. We meet people and see interests in Schulz's life who later will appear in his comics, such as Sparky's best friend Shermy, and his mother, a classical pianist, Sparky's great love of baseball, or his failed romance with a redhead who later will appear as "the little red-haired girl."
Schulz was particularly proud of his military service in World War II, where he was honored for excellence in combat. When he returned from the war, his comics were rejected by many publishers, but he finally found work lettering comic strips for a company that produced Catholic teaching aids. At this time he developed his first comics featuring kids, which he finally sold to the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a weekly comic, Li'l Folks. But his career really took off in 1950 when United Feature Syndicate offered him a five-year contract to develop a comic strip, which they renamed Peanuts. Sparky didn't like the new name, but he had little power to do anything about it.
Gherman describes how innovative Peanuts was at the time, with its spare drawing style and its focus on kids dealing with their daily concerns. Peanuts quickly caught on with readers; by 1956, Sparky had not only become financially successful but was honored by his fellow cartoonists with the Reuben Award as cartoonist of the year.
In the book, we also learn about Sparky as a devoted father and family man. His first marriage, however, ended in divorce in 1972 (this is discussed very briefly in the book). Although this was a difficult period for Sparky, he persevered, and later said he had drawn some of his best comics during this time.
Not only did Schulz make millions of people happy with his beloved Peanuts characters, he continues to do so even after his death, since Peanuts Classics are still published in many newspapers. Gherman, too, will make many people happy with her delightful biography of this king of comic book artists.
The extraordinary design of this book, done by Jennifer Bostic of Paper Plane Studio,deserves special mention. No boring white pages for this book--every color in the rainbow seems to be used for the page backgrounds, with different contrasting colors chosen for the text. In fact, each time the reader turns the page, the page color and text color changes. While some of the combinations (i.e. white text on a bright green background) are a bit difficult to read for older eyes, the energy and vitality that these bright and ever-changing colors lend to the book make the reader eager to turn to the next page.
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by Charles M. Schulz
by Charles M. Schulz
by Charles M. Schulz
by Charles M. Schulz
