My Name Is… Picasso

The Spaniard, Pablo Picasso, is considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists. He spent most of his life in France, where he and his friend Georges Braque pioneered in the style called cubism. However, Picasso painted and sculpted in many different styles. Among his most famous works is Guernica, which he painted in 1937 as a statement of protest against fascists and the Spanish Civil War. Older boys and girls will find hours of reading pleasure in the very accessible biographies in the My Name Is … series. The narratives are substantial, averaging roughly 7,500 words each, as they recount their subjects’ accomplishments in the context of their times and historical backgrounds. Each book’s narrative is supplemented with handsome full-color illustrations, including some of full-page size. Titles in this series make ideal additions both to school and home libraries, and can serve as supplementary reading for classroom discussion and essay projects. A two-page time line at the back of each book summarizes the subject’s life, as well as important cultural and historical events that occurred during his lifetime.