Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased

While most people associate Georgia O’Keeffe with the landscape of the American Southwest, this picture book explores the time she spent in Hawaii. Commissioned by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company to paint two works that “promote the delights of pineapple juice,” O’Keeffe quickly struck out on her own, traveling throughout the Hawaiian islands. “She painted a nana honua that she’d picked by the side of the road. It reminded Georgia of her favorite desert flower, the jimsonweed.” Morales’s milky acrylic and digital artwork positions the spirited artist against the glowing colors of Hawaii’s lush tropics. O’Keeffe had created more than a dozen paintings by the time she returned home to New York City—but none of them are of a pineapple, so “They were not happy. They wanted a pineapple! Georgia was not happy either. She was not going to be told what to paint.” A rich and unexpected depiction of a treasured artist. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. Ages 6–9. (Feb.)