AVAILABLE NOW!
Order autographed copies from Annie Bloom’s Books.
Barnes & Noble Indieboundor at an independent bookstore near you.
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- copyright Victoria Tentler-Krylov, used by permission
Victoria Tentler-Krylov illustrated I’M GONNA PAINT: RALPH FASANELLA, ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE. She grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia and came to the United States when she was eighteen. Trained as an architect, Victoria has published eight picture books in addition to I’M GONNA PAINT with many more books coming soon. She also does editorial illustration, including covers for THE NEW YORKER, and work in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST and other magazines. I’M GONNA PAINT was awarded a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Click here to see more of her work.
I’m Gonna Paint
Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People
The life of visionary folk artist and labor organizer Ralph Fasanella stunningly illustrated for picture book readers.
When dared to jump, Ralph always took the dare. So begins this loving tribute to a singular artist and his tireless efforts to honor and celebrate immigrant and working-class communities through his paintings.
Born in 1914 New York City to Italian immigrants, Ralph’s youth was one of dress factories, ice deliveries, union meetings, and Momma’s stories of the Bread & Roses Strike around the dinner table. By teaching himself how to paint, Ralph discovered a new way to reach working people: he would depict their lives, their work, and American history with electric color at a grand scale.
Focusing on themes of social justice, immigrant rights, labor rights, and the dignity of working people, I’m Gonna Paint inspires to give a new generation the confidence to continue the fight for better working conditions.
Anne Broyles taps into Ralph’s indomitable spirit to show his evolution as an artist, while Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s energetic art leaps off the page with wonder and homages to Ralph’s style. Meticulously researched with quotes from Ralph to underline his philosophy and approach to artmaking, the robust back matter includes reproductions of his paintings, historical photos, a timeline, a bibliography, a source notes, and much more.
- Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children’s Literature (Oregon Book Award)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year
- Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustration Winner
- Silver Medal at the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Show
- Cardinal Cup Awardee for Biography
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- Anne with Jim Beauchesne, the Lawrence Heritage State Park ranger who helped her research I’M GONNA PAINT, standing in front of Fasanella’s “Lawrence 1912: The Bread and Roses Strike.”
A STARRED REVIEW FROM KIRKUS!
“A very fine introduction to the life and work of a significant American craftsman.”
A STARRED REVIEW FROM THE HORN BOOK!
“In this engaging and child-friendly overview of Fasanella’s (1914–1997) life and evolution as a self-taught, working-class artist, Broyles highlights the man’s “rambunctious,” resilient, and independent nature, even as a child… Tentler-Krylov’s dynamic watercolors bring her subject to life in small vignettes at various stages of the times and also place him in boldly colored, expansive scenes that pay homage to Fasanella’s distinctive style.”
A STARRED REVIEW FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL!
“For readers ready to be plunked into the underbelly of the 20th century and then uplifted by one painter’s take on its myriad social issues and politics, this is a grand start; this book could be the linchpin for an upper elementary or even middle school class on the rise of labor unions, factory reforms, and other important movements that have not yet disappeared and may rise again.”
A STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY!
“Broyles details Ralph’s life via an engaging narrative of the intersection between art and organizing, while Tentler-Krylov’s closely worked, watercolor-textured illustrations echo the artist’s own detailed style.”
SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite Books Read in 2023
“Those first informal words in the title swept me into the soul of a man I’d never heard of and can never forget. His subjects are nitty gritty city sights, such as factory interiors, but of course the vision of someone who taught himself to read, first, and then to paint, guided him, and now uplifts us. I just knocked Robert Frost off my nightstand. I want to read about this American hero who used observation and a paint palette for social justice to his very last breath.”
—Kimberly Olson Fakih, Senior Editor, Picture Books
“All together it feels like much more than a ‘children’s book;’ it is a gateway to further exploration of an artist’s life.”
—Keith Danish, New York Labor History Association
AVAILABLE NOW!
Order autographed copies from Annie Bloom’s Books.
Barnes & Noble Indieboundor at an independent bookstore near you.
-
- copyright Victoria Tentler-Krylov, used by permission
Victoria Tentler-Krylov illustrated I’M GONNA PAINT: RALPH FASANELLA, ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE. She grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia and came to the United States when she was eighteen. Trained as an architect, Victoria has published eight picture books in addition to I’M GONNA PAINT with many more books coming soon. She also does editorial illustration, including covers for THE NEW YORKER, and work in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST and other magazines. I’M GONNA PAINT was awarded a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Click here to see more of her work.