(2) 4-6 In this picture book for an older audience than Yang's A Boy Named Isamu (rev. 9/21), Hughes presents an impressionistic biography of artist Isamu Noguchi. The book's emotional journey begins with an elderly Noguchi shouting into a phone, angrily turning down an invitation to represent the United States in an important art exhibition. Rejected too many times in both America and Japan, Noguchi "felt like a snail and called himself one." To calm down, he decides to build an akari, a lamp sculpted out of paper and bamboo, though difficult memories arise as he works. Born to a white American mother and a Japanese father, Noguchi grew up in both the U.S. and Japan yet never felt he belonged in either; World War II only deepened his sense of alienation. In her illustrations Hughes makes use of spirals and whorls to play with the snail theme: the artist often works so ferociously he's like a "typhoon"; coiled shapes fill his memories--Japanese ferns, wood shavings, his curly hair as a child; and, finally, there's the rounded shell-like body of the light-filled lamp, his finished product. Noguchi feels "love from the akari's glow" and changes his mind about the invitation; his work at the exhibition ultimately includes a room filled with akari--"a room full of light." In an author's note, Hughes says that while critics at the time complained that the akari were too commercial, she considers them "sculptures of joy...of lightness, impermanence." A brief bibliography is appended.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) K-3 "If you are a boy named Isamu," begins this invented vignette of the childhood of artist Isamu Noguchi, "at the market with your mother, it can be a crowded and noisy place." The text continues in second person, inviting readers to imagine themselves in the place of this quiet boy in early-twentieth-century Japan. The story follows him as he wanders away from the market, through a forest, and onto a beach. As he walks, he wonders about the shapes and textures of rocks, leaves, and bamboo. He imagines faces for the rocks, thinks about how wind carries the grass he tosses away, and wonders about paper lanterns, "how light can feel so welcoming." All these objects will become artistic material for the adult Noguchi as he creates landscape art and paper sculptures. Yang's text meets child readers on their own level, framing the natural world as a source of curiosity and delight. His digital illustrations feel warm and organic. Edges are softened and shapes are emphasized, as the pictorial lens zooms in and out to focus on a leaf or portray the grand scale of a seaside cliff. The book works as both an introduction to a fascinating artist and a tribute to the quiet joys of the natural world. An appended note provides more information about Noguchi's career and the author's inspiration for this picture book: "This story is how I imagine Isamu Noguchi explored nature, because as some children know, alone time can be the most special time of all."

Reviewer: K Rachael Stein | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Floca. After choreographer Martha Graham asked composer Aaron Copland and sculptor/set designer Isamu Noguchi to collaborate with her on a new ballet, the iconic Appalachian Spring was born. Using spare, concise sentences, the authors echo Graham's approach to dance: nothing's wasted, and in such exactness lies beauty. Floca's fluid, energetic line and watercolor illustrations also reflect the plain boldness of Graham's choreography. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(3) YA Asian Americans of Achievement series. These volumes discuss the lives and achievements of two Asian American artists. An abundance of facts are included in each book, in addition to fascinating personal details and some history of the native countries of the subjects' families. The books also include dynamic photographs and sidebars with further information. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Asian Americans of Achievement titles: Maya Lin and Isamu Noguchi.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow