Drawing On Walls: A Story Of Keith Haring
Written by Matthew Burgess * Illustrated by Josh Cochran
★ A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2020
★ A Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2020
★ A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2020
★ A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Pick of 2020
★ A Favorite Book of 2020 by Brain Pickings
★ 2021 Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Title
★ A Eureka Gold Award Winner for Excellence in Nonfiction
“The story, including a respectful acknowledgement of Haring’s death from AIDS, makes the subject seem immediate and real—and presents a compelling vision of answering the call to create.”
–STARRED REVIEW from Publishers Weekly
“This big, beautiful biography of Keith Haring includes illustrations that encapsulate the iconic American artist’s work and life.”
–STARRED REVIEW from School Library Journal
“Everything about this book spells gentleness and creativity. Burgess’ description of the intense creativity unleashed when Haring moved to New York City and fell in love with subway graffiti will bring home to young artists that the everyday world can be a rich inspiration for their work.”
–STARRED REVIEW from Booklist
“Thirty years after Keith Haring’s death of AIDS-related complications, this vibrant picture book brings the iconic pop artist’s work and story to the hearts of a new generation. An inspired, and inspiring, continuation of Haring’s intention.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“Drawing On Walls, A Story of Keith Haring is gorgeous and deeply inspiring.”
–Inclusive Storytime
“DRAWING ON WALLS: A Story of Keith Haring is a tender and beautifully written biography of Haring’s short life. Matthew Burgess, the book’s talented writer, set out to tell Haring’s tale without embellishment, sugarcoating or regret. The result is a joyful celebration of Haring’s world. In finding a way to address the artist’s homosexuality and AIDS diagnosis, Burgess took inspiration from comments Haring made in an interview some 30 years ago with Rolling Stone about the pitfalls of not being honest: “It gives so much fuel to the people who are telling you that it’s wrong to be who you are. There are so few people who are good openly gay role models or just good people who are respected who are open about their sexuality. Now there has to be openness about all these issues.” –Frank Viva, The New York Times
“This book will be a timeless classic, much like the art of Keith Haring.” –The Tiny Activist
“Burgess’s tender words, harmonized by muralist and illustrator Josh Cochran’s ebullient art, follow the young Keith from his childhood in small-town Pennsylvania, drawing at the kitchen table with his dad and dipping his little sister’s palms in paint to make her a mobile of handprints, to his improbable path to New York City… Drawing on Walls radiates that singular thingness with its sensitive, courageous homage to an artist whose short life cast a widening pool of light on so many, rippling across space and time.” –Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
“Drawing On Walls is the kind of book that you wish other writers of children’s nonfiction would read. Because, honestly, if the little cynical child in my head can get into the groove of the story here, maybe we need to see more books like this in the future. Many many more.” –Betsy Bird, Fuse 8 Production at School Library Journal
“Drawing on Walls is a beautiful introduction to Keith Haring’s life and art. Matthew Burgess’s text captures the seemingly inexhaustible energy and joy for life that possessed Haring from the beginning of his life, and Josh Cochran’s illustrations convey that energy and joy without mimicking Haring’s style.” –The Book Beat
Photo by Daniel Cochran.
“Bright and bold as Keith Haring’s art, this book follows the artist’s ever-energetic creative drive. Author Burgess and illustrator Cochran show how generous a person he was, and how children played a central part in his life and work.” —The Washington Post
Please support your local independent bookstore by ordering a copy directly through them. Here are some of my favorites: Community Bookstore Park Slope, Greenlight Bookstore, Books Are Magic, Word Bookstores, BGSQD, and Powell’s. Also available at Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
ISBN: 978-1-59270-267-1 9.5” 64 pages • HC • Ages 6-14
I spoke with Teaching Books about the inspiration for Drawing on Walls: “Keith Haring is one of the people who shine the light, and he's one of the people that insisted on openness. So to write a picture book biography that's aligned with who he was and what he believed in necessarily had to include who he loved. And it needed to include also the truth of his life and how he became sick and how he died young. And nevertheless, what he created in his short life is still shining light. It's still transmitting this energy that feels so joyful and life-affirming. “ You can listen to an excerpt of the conversation HERE.
Josh Cochran and I had a conversation about Keith Haring, public art, the creative process, and specific sites in Greenwich Village that are significant in Keith’s life and work. Hosted by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation on June 22, 2020.
Here is a video that I made for Stimola Live that introduces Drawing on Walls and includes a writing and bookmaking activity for kids (of all ages). May 18, 2020.
