Born to Draw Comics

September 1, 2019

Gr 1-3-Most children have heard of Snoopy or seen his picture, but this picture book biography tells the story of his creator. Presented in a comic book style reminiscent of its subject's drawings, the colorful panels follow Charles "Sparky" Schulz from his birth to the syndication of Peanuts. This is the story of a boy who enjoyed life's simple pleasures and who grew into a man who captured those joys in his comics for all to share. Readers will learn where the idea of a boy and his beloved-and smart-dog originated. Wadsworth and Orback describe Schulz's lifelong love of drawing and the encouragement he received from his teachers, parents, and friends. This biography stresses that perseverance and practice were the keys to his success, with multiple submissions to publishers before he was finally offered a contract. The back matter includes a photo of Schulz at his drawing board, an author's note, a brief list of the Peanuts characters, and other helpful details. VERDICT A wonderful homage to Schulz and a perfect first biography for young readers.-Suzanne Costner, Fairview Elementary School, Maryville, TN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2019
The story of how Charles Schulz became a cartoonist and created the "Peanuts" comic strip. "Someday, Charles, you're going to be an artist!" said Charles Schulz's teacher after he had drawn an odd snow scene with a palm tree in a snowbank. Charles, nicknamed Sparky by an uncle, always liked to draw, and his family always read the comics together. Sparky would copy his favorite characters for practice, and he even submitted a drawing of his dog, Spike, for the Believe It or Not cartoon, and it was accepted! After high school, he began submitting cartoons to popular magazines and piled up many rejection letters. Eventually, though, the Saturday Evening Post started buying his single-panel cartoons, and the United Feature Syndicate offered Schulz a five-year contract if he would develop his characters further: "Peanuts" was born. And there the volume ends, with Schulz on the verge of great success as a cartoonist, information about the "Peanuts" gang--Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and others--reserved for the backmatter. The illustrations were created with pen and ink, colored pencil, and gouache paint, and frequent use of paneled illustrations appropriately suggests Schulz's future comic-book world. It's a largely white world; the only reference to a character of color is in the backmatter, with Franklin in the dramatis personae of the "Peanuts" strip. An appealing but oddly truncated biography. (author's note, artist's note, places to visit, sources, notes) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

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August 5, 2019
Fittingly, pictures and text pull equal weight in this warm and perceptive portrait of Schulz’s life. As a child in 1920s Minnesota, “Sparky” eagerly reads newspaper comics with his parents and draws likenesses of his favorite characters on paper scraps. Wadsworth reveals that Schulz displayed a quirky imagination early on; his incongruous drawing of a man shoveling snow alongside a palm tree elicits high praise from his kindergarten teacher. Intriguing anecdotes and visuals track the origins of the Peanuts comic strip (inspired by the cartoonist’s own hound’s “naughty adventures”), in which, purposely, “The girls were as big and strong as the boys.” In polished, mixed-media full-page and panel art, Orback deftly integrates references to Schulz’s work into scenes that convincingly evoke the era and the celebrated cartoonist’s earnestness and devotion to his craft. Ages 5–9.

August 1, 2019
Grades 2-5 Nicknamed Sparky after Spark Plug, a cartoon racehorse, when he was a baby, Charles Schulz was perhaps destined to become a great cartoonist. Beginning with his birth in Minneapolis, this picture-book biography follows Schulz's childhood in St. Paul, including his ups and downs in school and his love of sports. From visiting a comic strip art exhibit at the St. Paul Public Library to meeting his smart yet mischievous black-and-white hound (whom he drew and submitted to Bob Ripley for his Believe It or Not! cartoon), the narrative also highlights some of Schulz's influences. After describing the loss of his mother and his service in WWII as a young man, the book focuses on his determination to become a syndicated cartoonist and his success in turning his Li'l Folks cartoons into the now iconic Peanuts. Although more realistic than cartoonish, the paneled artwork, with references to the original Peanuts gang, gives context to Schulz's life. An author's note, a photo of Schulz, and more back matter add further details to this charming story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)