​Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

Written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe

“Somewhere in Brooklyn,” begins this incandescent biography, the winner of the 2017 Caldecott Medal, “a little boy dreams of being a famous artist.” Basquiat died in 1988 at just 27, but he left a vibrant legacy that Steptoe, painting and collaging on salvaged wood pieces from Basquiat’s own hunting grounds, conveys to a new generation. Steptoe’s words, too, go straight for the heart, redeeming often harsh facts of the artist’s life by focusing on how both his strength and his pain powered his art.

