Polka Dot Parade: A Book About Bill Cunningham

In keeping with Bill Cunningham’s singular fascination with the visual splendor of fashion, Blumenthal and D’yans offer a close-up on the photographer’s creative pursuits. With dynamic processions of swooshing colors, patterns, and fabrics, D’yans vividly conveys how Cunningham viewed New York City fashion through his eyes and lens. One figure wears a trailing cloak that features an inky landscape; elsewhere, moths and dragonflies emerge from a woman’s gown. Cunningham is portrayed as an impassioned observer who captured the beauty of his subjects in unguarded moments on the street, or from the handlebars of his beloved bicycle. Blumenthal peppers her prose with quotations from Cunningham that speak to his devotion to his art and his celebration of clothing as a true expression of human individuality. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)