Yayoi Kusama : de aquí al infinito

by Sarah Suzuki

Rare book

Genres: Art, Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Japan, Feminism

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2017

About the author

Sarah Suzuki is a Curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic first book on this influential artist and her struggle to be accepted while remaining true to her vision - great for a child who is interested in art. A great story about staying true to your vision, even when those around you don't offer you any support. Very nice art that is bold and vivid.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Yayoi Kusama and this is a nice intro book for children. I do wish that her OCD had been discussed. I know it's a book for kids, but I was diagnosed when I was 7 and it would have been nice to see that representation. That being said, it's a really good book and a nice introduction to Kusama and her unique work.

[Marjorie Ingall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fabulous art, dull text...and as another Goodreads reviewer pointed out, what a missed opportunity to talk about Kusama's OCD. Kids struggle with mental health too; it's a bummer that this teachable moment was lost.

EVERYONE THINKS THEY CAN WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK. GUESS WHAT. IT'S HARD.

So: A visually snazzy book for the adult Kusama fan in your life.

[Mai M Ibrahim · Rating 3 out of 5]

استكمالًا ل قراءة كل الكتب المتاحة عن
yayoi ف المكتبة العامة
علشان بحضر عنها فيديو هنزله قريب ع قناة جرافيميديا ع اليوتيوب اللي بنزل عليها فيديوهات عن التصميم والفن كل خميس 👇
@graphimedia.workshops

اولًا الغلاف مش حلو والكتاب حجمه كبير اعتقد a3
بس لما تدخل الكتاب من جوا الرسومات حلوة
مش عارفه ليه الكاتبه اختارت أوحش رسمه ف الكتاب وحطتها غلاف

هصور الكتب بشكل سريع ع انستجرام كمان
@mai.designer92

[reading is my hustle · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely intro into the life of yayoi kusama.

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice bio of the artist Yayoi Kusama, whom I didn't know about until today. The story is plainly told, but the illustrations pop nicely, mostly due to their source material. Looking forward to doing a craft time with this book and letting kids experiment with colored dots.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children’s picture book about Kusama

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this simple picture book bio. Child now obsessed with “Obliteration Room.”

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

A nice, kid-friendly introduction to Yayoi Kusama's life and art that gives some basic information about her childhood in Japan, life in New York, and struggle to get her work recognized.

Great illustrations.

Despite the length, there isn't a ton of detail about Kasama's life. The information presented is very simplistic. Doesn't delve in to Kasama mental health or much detail about her inspiration for her work.

The book does include photos of Kusama's work at the end, which were really cool to see.

Overall, a nice introductory biography. A good place to start when learning about Kusama.

[Hummingbirgio D’Saltalamacchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gooorgeous artwork and color palette

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many books recommended for Women's History Month are about the same women we've learned about since my mother was in elementary school (mid to late 1970's).
And while those women are no less important today, I wanted to learn about someone new.

I liked this book, but it felt incomplete. I wanted to know more about why Kusama covers her art with dots.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love her so this is biased. Maybe 3.5 for actual story etc. But gah she’s amazing and this is a good intro for students.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love meeting new people through a beautifully done biography!

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book for today is Yayoi Kusama: From Here To Infinity, written by Sarah Suzuki and illustrated by Ellen Weinstein, a visually striking picture book biography of the Japanese avant-garde artist.

Yayoi was born in Japan in 1929, into a world of natural beauty and color. As a child, she would paint and draw the world around her – her home city of Matsumoto, the plants in her family’s nursery, the streams and forests of her youth – represented as colorful dots. Not everyone understood her dots: her family tried to train her to become a proper lady, and her art school teachers tried to force her to paint in the traditional Japanese style, but Yayoi’s inspirations could not be contained. She set off on her own to the United States, and painted at every chance she could get, creating more and more paintings and sculptures of her dots. Then one day, she was invited to show her work at a gallery – and people went wild for it. Yayoi travelled the world, creating art, then returned to Japan and continues to create and innovate to this day.

Fascinating! I was somewhat aware of Kusama’s work before reading this, and it was wonderful to learn more about her art and the life that inspired it – though I wish some mention might have been made of her long relationship with mental illness, and how she used art to channel her emotions and struggles. Still, the story is brief yet engaging, and the stylized art (inspired by Kusama’s work, naturally) is bold, vivid, and gorgeous. In fact, JJ especially loved the illustrations, and there were many pages that elicited a “Wow!” or “Oooo!” from both of us. The length is fine, and it was a fun and educational read. A pretty awesome portrait of a intriguing artist, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Fromwordstoworlds · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She was devoted to her dots – for her they were a way of thinking about the world among the stars, as one dot among millions of others. They were a way of thinking about infinity."

Born in Japan, in 1929, in a very strict family, Yayoi has struggled to follow the rules and accept her mother’s plans for her. She wanted to make art her own way, travel and see the world.

"Yayoi’s mother wanted her to stay at home and learn old-fashioned manners – how to dress elegantly, walk demurely, eat politely – and find a proper husband.

But Yayoi wanted to be an artist. Every day she went outside with ink and brushes and paper. She drew things and saw things she imagined. She looked closely at the pebbles that lined the riverbed and at the leaves and stalks of plants, and she drew them as chains of tiny cells that looked like dots."

She is now one of the most popular artists in the world; 91 years old she continues to paint daily. Her artwork is recognised everywhere and her exhibitions continue to be sold out worldwide. Since childhood, Kusama used her painting to cope with her mental health problems. Her art was her tool to understand her visions and to explore her inner world.

See full review on blog:
https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.c...

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book biography of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has lovely illustrations, but the text is subpar, giving a surface-level view of her life without providing any real insight into her thoughts, feelings, or creative process. I finished the book feeling that I had learned about her artistic work, but that I hadn't learned about her. Then I came here and read other people's reviews, learning from them that Kusama suffers from OCD and has leveraged this as an influence for her art. WHAT? I could have identified with this so much, and I feel so cheated that the book left out any reference to her mental health problems.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright, colorful, and imitates or draws out the inspirations for Kusama's dots well. There are several pages of reproductions of her work in the endnotes.

More detailed and realistic style than Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn't Sorry., with the two focusing on different aspects of Kusama's story at points.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book biography of artist Yayoi Kusama.

If you love polka dots, you'll definitely want to pick up this picture book biography. I'm not huge into modern art, but I can handle polka dots. And some of Yayoi's artwork is quite clever. An interesting little look at a Japanese American artist who defies conventions.

Notes on content: The depiction of Yayoi in the MoMA shows her in front of a modernist art piece that includes naked women.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unique Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, works as a painter, sculptor, fabric artist and so much more. From Here to Infinity by Sarah Suzuki tells a colorful story of a girl who just wanted to create.
This picture book biography also includes photographs of her original work. Children might find lots of ideas for creativity in this little gem for ages 5 - 10. Kids might enjoy this website from the Tate Museuem about the Artist.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Yayoi Kusama's art ever since a friend introduced me to it. This book is a good introduction to Kusama's life and *some* of the hardships that she has faced. The illustrations are the perfect depiction of her signature dot style and includes photographs of some of her most famous works at the end.
I read this to one of my classes and then we created butterflies with oil pastel dots covered with watercolors, reminiscent of Kusama.

[Julia Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells a condensed version of artist Yayoi Kusama's life. It's inspiring to read about her never giving up on the style she loved to create, which would be encouraging for kids to read. Shows photographs of some of her artwork, and a beautiful installation room that inspired the title and cover design.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just teaching my students about innovative artists (Tomas Saraceno, Yayoi Kusama, Christo, Alexa Meade, etc.) last Friday, so when I saw this book in a thrift store, I had to snatch it up and read it that evening. I was expecting lavish illustrations and a brief synopsis of famous exhibits of Kusama's, which would help my ESOL students better engage with the subject matter, but instead, I would say the book was more biographical, and the pictures were very simplistic and were more background than focus. Overall, a quick, easy, informative and colorful read - definitely going to use in the classroom!

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative, quick-moving biography of Yayoi Kusama, groundbreaking Japanese modern artist. Doesn't get bogged down in trying to share every detail of Kusama's life, instead focusing on big moments and threading through Kusama's artistic concerns by gently underlining all the times the infinite is present in the every day.

Themes: Artists, Heroines,
Ages: 7-12

[Crystal M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book biography missed a crucial aspect of YKs life- her mental health and it’s challenges. This book had a great opportunity to talk about mental illness and reduce stigma about it and demystify it for kids, but it chose to not comment on that at all, which does nothing to reduce stigma and misconceptions. But other than that it was good.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice beginner's bio on Yayoi Kusama with a collaboration from MOMA. Kusama is an interesting artist and I am not necessarily a fan of her artwork but I think she's someone to be aware of. Kusama is 91 years old and continues to paint everyday. She is also the top selling female artist in the world.

Ellen Weinstein's illustrations are really great.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artist Yayoi Kusama has lived a life outside the cultural norms of Japanese society. She decided to become an artist and is now famous for her polka dot art pieces. She sees the dots as stars in the universe. If you are looking for books about female artists, people who live their own path or just want to read about something different, take a look at this!

[Liese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about Kusama, but, like other reviewers, I am disappointed that there was no mention in this book, which is for older kids, of Kusama's mental health challenges and strategies for living vibrantly on her own terms. Missed chance to connect kids with an amazing neurodivergent elder whose artwork they could visit in many museums.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I visited the Yayoi Kusama exhibit yesterday at the Seattle Art Museum. It was spectacular and I bought this book for our public library collection. It's a nice introduction to Kusama and her life story. I hope it will inspire young artists to follow their dreams too. 3.5 stars.

[Tracy Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yayoi Kusama was told her artwork was no good. In the pursuit of her artistic talent, Yayoi overcomes criticism and pursues her style, finding success. the pictures of this book are brilliant. Students are introduced to the unique style of this Japanese artist.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet biography of a great artist who defied expectations and found relief in dots. I appreciate how the book includes beautiful color photographs of her work as well - including her infinity room.