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Book Review- “Kid Artists: True Tales of Childhood from Creative Legends”

Published

9 years ago

September 1, 2016

The color of your parents’ refrigerator is…. um, white.

You can’t remember exactly because it’s covered in artwork: your school projects, your sister’s drawings, your little brother’s scribbles. Face it: you’re an artistic family and your parents are proud.

Maybe someday, you’ll be famous. It could happen, as you’ll see in “Kid Artists” by David Stabler, illustrated by Doogie Horner.

Ever since you can remember, you’ve always loved to draw. Lots of kids do, but while “Not every kid grows up to be a great artist,” says David Stabler, “…every great artist starts out as a kid.”

That doesn’t make things easy. Take, for instance, Louise Nevelson.

Born in Russia in 1900, Nevelson’s trip to America when she was five years old was a long one: it took weeks, and the family was quarantined even before their steamship journey.

But by then, Nevelson had begun to understand the use of color and, by age nine, she knew she was going to be an artist.

When America entered World War I, young Theodore Geisel was teased and bullied for his German last name and because his grandfather was an immigrant.

Ted never let that bother him, though: he continued to draw and play with words, which made him famous. You probably, in fact, know him by the name on his books: Dr. Seuss.

“Sparky” Schulz’s father loved the “funny pages,” and so young Sparky grew up with that same appreciation of the comics. Sparky was kind of a shy teen, until the day he sent a drawing of his dog to the editors of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and his cartoon was printed.

That launched Schulz’s career with a round-headed kid named Charlie Brown and a dancing beagle named Snoopy.

Yoko Ono grew up in luxury, but lost it during World War II. Pablo Picasso’s first word was “pencil.” Jackson Pollock was influenced by Native American cave paintings that he saw as a child.

And African American artist Jacob Lawrence, renowned for his cardboard paintings, almost missed being famous because his family couldn’t afford materials.

What happens when you give a kid a crayon? You get a drawing, of course, and in “Kid Artists,” the picture is clear: genius isn’t easy.

Using the word “artist” to denote creativity, author David Stabler profiles seventeen people who didn’t just become well-known artists overnight. For them, practicing their passion was a lifelong journey and, along the way, they were just like any average kid.

Some were bullied, some moved around a lot, others overcame poverty or deprivation, and a few bucked convention to do what their hearts told them to do. Kids will appreciate accompanying artwork by Doogie Horner, and the fact that these short stories are guilt-free, skippable, and browse-able, if needed.

That adds up to an interesting, attention-holding collection of mini-biographies that any 7-to-14-year-old can enjoy for fun or for a school project. Or, if they need inspiration to persevere with their own creative genius, “Kid Artists” is a great book to draw from.

“Kid Artists: True Tales of Childhood from Creative Legends” by David Stabler, illustrations by Doogie Horner, c. 2016, Quirk Books, $13.95; 208 pages.

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

11 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

12 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.