Dean Engel

Through the beautiful storytelling of Dean Engel, Ezra Jack Keats came alive again and again with the turn of each page. His beautiful illustrations helped to tell his life story in a vivid, re-imagined way. Through detailed accounts of Keats' difficult life in America as an immigrant polish Jew in Brooklyn, born and raised during the trying times of Depression, the reader is able to watch him transform from a young boy drawing on his mothers kitchen table to a war-weathered man illustrating children's novels and leaving behind an unmatched impression. I learned that Keats was raised in a poor family, worked long and hard for the minimal lifestyle that his entire family lived, lost his father at an early age just during the beginning of his professional art career, fought in a war, and had a loving cat named Samantha to keep him company as his writing companion.… (meer)

I loved the way the authors chose to write this biography about Ezra Jack Keats. It was told in a story format, that made it interesting to read, unlike the previous biographies I read before this. It was told in chapters, starting with Keats' childhood flowing all the way to his death. I feel the authors provided a lot of background information that really helped me understand Keats' works in a more profound way. The authors inserted many of Keats' own original paintings into the book, these helped prove his talents are much deeper than what we get from reading his children's books. Keats lived a very interesting life and I feel the authors conveyed that in an interesting way. The biography was thorough. The author's of this biography were good friends of Keats, which really explains the passion behind the book. Although it is a lengthy read, it was worth it.… (meer)