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- Leaving China [hc]
Leaving China [hc]
An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood
By James McMullan
In a unique memoir comprising more than fifty watercolor paintings and accompanying text, award-winning artist and New York Times bestselling author James McMullan explores how his early childhood in China and wartime journeys with his mother influenced his whole life, especially his artwork. The text contains mild profanity and sexual references, and violence. 128 pages
"The book is composed of one-page vignettes that face a corresponding full-page watercolor scene illustrating a pivotal moment in the McMullan family history and/or Jim's childhood. Delicate layers of pale green, soft lavender, and rich ocher tones bleed and blend into deep violet shadows- a subtle visual nod to the themes of nostalgia, isolation, and loss explored throughout the work. McMullan's compositions are both quiet and stirring in their depiction of a lonely little boy struggling to find his place in a chaotic and often unkind world." -School Library Journal (Grade 7+)
"... this is a memoir of celebrated artist McMullan's early years, from age 2 to 11... A fascinating, seamless portrait of a young life and the wartime world that will have appeal not only to young readers but to adults as well." -Booklist, Starred Review (Grades 6-9)
March 25, 2014
AR Level=7.7; Lexile Level=1280 NC Non-Conforming Text
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