Tigers & Tea With Toppy

July 30, 2018
As a girl in New York City, Knight Kalt loved spending weekends with her grandfather Toppy—the legendary artist Charles R. Knight, whose pioneering, dramatic murals of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures captured the public’s imagination. Together, they peruse the displays of his work in the American Museum of Natural History—“She feels the magic of traveling to an ancient world,” write Kerley (A Home for Mr. Emerson) and Knight Kalt—and visit the Central Park Zoo, where Toppy’s commentary on tigers and other animals always draws a crowd. Knight Kalt also mingles with interesting people in Toppy and grandmother Nonnie’s apartment; watches her grandfather, his eyesight weak since childhood, daub at his work; and wonders what she will grow to enjoy as much as he loves “drawing and painting animals.” Matching the text’s affection is gouache art by Stephens (Mr. Flux), which conveys how a larger-than-life figure takes shape in a child’s mind’s eye, and incorporates Knight’s actual paintings and drawings. A wealth of detail (including Toppy’s fascinating backstory) is handled with the lightest of touches, and final pages include author notes, source information, and photographs. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from August 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-Rhoda loves to visit her grandparents every weekend. She and her grandfather, Toppy, spend time at their favorite places. At the American Museum of Natural History, Toppy shows Rhoda through the museum where they stop and look at Toppy's paintings. Rhoda's grandfather turns out to be Charles R. Knight, world-renowned wildlife artist. Rhoda loves to listen to him talk about the animals he's studied and painted. He's as good a storyteller as he is a painter. As a boy, Toppy loved to draw and he spent hours learning about animals so he could draw them. Despite poor eyesight that worsened over time, he never gave up on his dream. After their time at the museum, Rhoda and Toppy go back to the house to have dinner with Grandma Nonnie. Toppy works on his book about drawing animals. Even though he can barely see, he continues to pursue the craft he loves so dearly. Combining the talents of Kerley with the experiences of Kalt, along with the art of Stephens and Knight himself, makes for a powerful book. VERDICT Not only is this a story of the tender relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter, it's also a powerful story of following one's dreams and passions, despite life's challenges. A first purchase for most libraries.-Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2018
Rhoda vividly remembers exciting New York weekends with her grandfather Toppy, the artist Charles R. Knight, who created many of the murals at the American Museum of Natural History.Co-author Kalt--Rhoda herself, now grown up--provides a frame, using their weekend jaunts as an entree into Toppy's life. Toppy was nearly blind but was nevertheless determined to become a wildlife artist, inspired by childhood visits to the American Museum of Natural History. He took art lessons, studied the animals at the Central Park Zoo, and spent hours at the museum's taxidermy department. His first assignment was painting a prehistoric creature, working from a skeleton. He used every skill he had developed and brought all his knowledge of animals to the task. In scenes with little Rhoda, Toppy's impromptu lectures, demonstrations, and expansive invitations provide further insights into his character and artistic achievements. Most important is his gentle insistence that Rhoda follow her own heart in determining her future endeavors. Two voices narrate the tale, in both present and past tenses and across several time periods. It is somewhat awkward, but Kerley maintains a careful balance, and it works. Knight's own lifelike creations appear interspersed with Stephens' bright, clever, and whimsical gouaches on watercolor. Rhoda and Toppy are white. In a note, Stephens tells of his own vision impairment and his admiration for Knight, and an excerpt from Knight's own work is also appended.A loving remembrance of a tender, enduring intergenerational relationship. (authors' notes, sources, photos) (Picture book/memoir. 4-9)

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