Written by Margarita Engle
Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers
Mom's Review
You will be Googling Wifredo Lam's art as soon as you close this book, and then checking to see where you can view any of his art in person! Wifredo's Jungle tells the story of Wifredo Lam as he pursued art from a young age in Cuba. Readers learn how he drew on traditions from the many cultures of his heritage to create a unique style blending the natural and artificial world in his paintings. While young readers may not recognize his name, they will likely recognize Picasso's - the two exhibited together and were both part of the same artist community, so that could be a useful reference point.
What I love about Wifredo's Jungle is how Engle and Alcantara have so cohesively told the story of his life as an artist using flowing narrative and brilliant illustrations to make Lam come alive. On top of that, Lam's art itself is so captivating that the images invite you to linger over them. This is an excellent nonfiction narrative picture book! 5 Stars. Wholeheartedly recommend!
The only detractor was the difficult to see turquoise text on a light brown background, but that was only used for three phrases.
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