Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing

This exuberant biography of the late artist Keith Haring, written by his sister, introduces him as a bespectacled boy who doodled on his tests, much to the chagrin of his teachers. Haring’s feverish commitment to drawing continued into adulthood, when the unconventional surfaces he drew on (“on walls, on sidewalks, and on paper that he hung on lampposts”) and his disinterest in making money from his art raised eyebrows. Neubecker (I Won a What?) combines images of Haring’s work (all identified in a closing spread) with his own punchy cartooning, which dovetails perfectly with the effervescent energy that characterized Haring’s imagery. A moving author’s note and additional biographical information close out this sensitive tribute. Ages 5–8. [em]Author’s agent: Adriana Dominguez, Full Circle Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Feb.) [/em]