Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth

by Barb Rosenstock, Gerard Dubois (Illustrator)

Overview

After a childhood bout of polio left her with a limp, all Dorothea Lange wanted to do was disappear. But this desire not to be seen helped her learn how to blend into the background and observe others acutely. With a passion for the artistic life, and in spite of her family's disapproval, Dorothea pursued her dream to become a photographer and focused her lens on the previously unseen victims of the Great Depression. This poetic biography tells the emotional story of Lange's evolution as one of the founders of documentary photography. It includes a gallery of Lange's photographs, and an author's note, timeline, and bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629792088
Publisher:	Highlights
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	134,513
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Barb Rosenstock's The Noisy Paint Box, published by Knopf, won a 2015 Caldecott Honor Medal. She lives near Chicago, Illinois. Visit barbrosenstock.com.

Gerard DuBois is the illustrator of Monsieur Marceau: Actor without Words, the 2013 NCTE Orbis Pictus winner. He lives in Montreal, Canada, with his family. Visit gdubois.com.

Editorial Reviews

This biography covers some difficult ground by breaking down Lange's story into simple ideas…DuBois's art creates a kind of vintage paper doll effect, with figures set against white space and little rubbed-out areas of acrylic paint.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

12/14/2015
Rosenstock lyrically describes photographer Dorothea Lange’s creative development from a polio-stricken child from Hoboken to the photographer behind some of the nation’s most iconic images. As a child, Lange was teased and rejected by her peers for her limp, yet the very invisibility she feels becomes an asset as she learns to see “with her eyes and her heart.” As Lange grew older, she began taking photographs, eventually discovering her interest in capturing portraits of the impoverished and needy during the Great Depression: “Dorothea’s eyes won’t let the country look away.” DuBois gives his figures the pale skin and fixed postures of bisque dolls; a gauzy darkroom scene, lit in glaring red, reads like a moment of epiphany. Several of Lange’s photographs, including her famous “Migrant Mother” image, appear in a detailed closing section. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agency: Marlena Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"This brief, illustrated biography explores how the life of pioneering photojournalist Dorothea Lange influenced her art.... the mostly autumnal palette complements the text as it teaches ... tawny colors work equally well to conjure the Great Depression.... An excellent beginner's resource for biography, U.S. history, and women's studies." —Kirkus Reviews

"This biography of celebrated photographer Dorothea Lange (best known for the iconic Migrant Mother) has a clear, consistent message: Lange's photographs are unique because they depict 'people the world ignores' with both truth and love, allowing viewers to see the world with their eyes and hearts....Statements in bold red print found throughout the text explain the growth of Lange's caring and truthful approach, while descriptive words written in gray print highlight the feelings Lange had that caused her to stand apart from others as a sympathetic observer...DuBois employs a muted palette, and the striking illustrations have a faded look that complements the setting and mood....A solid introduction to one of America's most celebrated photographers." —School Library Journal

"Rosenstock lyrically describes photographer Dorothea Lange's creative development from a polio-stricken child from Hoboken to the photographer behind some of the nation's most iconic images." —Publishers Weekly

"An oversize portrait of those titular grey-green eyes introduce Dorothea's special talent at seeing details in objects and faces that others might miss....Softly outlined pastel images create spacious and simple vivid pictures..." —Booklist

From the Publisher

This picture book is a simplified biography of photographer Dorothea Lange. It covers the highlights of her life, including her bout with polio, her parent’s divorce, and the poverty in which she grew up. The text also shows how she worked hard to become one of the most influential photographers in the United States and how she went from being a photographer who took pictures of the rich and famous to one who took pictures of the poor and forgotten. The paintings that go along with the story are done in such a way to look like antique china dolls. They are beautiful and interesting. The back of the book shows some of her most famous photographs, which complement the story perfectly. There is also a short description for grown-ups about her and her talents, a bibliography, sources for quotations, and suggestions for further reading. The very last spread in the book contains a timeline of her life 1895-1965. Reviewer: Nicole Peterson Davis; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Nicole Peterson Davis

01/01/2016
Gr 2–5—This biography of celebrated photographer Dorothea Lange (best known for the iconic Migrant Mother) has a clear, consistent message: Lange's photographs are unique because they depict "people the world ignores" with both truth and love, allowing viewers to see the world with their eyes and hearts. The author chronicles the evolution of Lange's approach. An enthusiastic, curious observer who often felt invisible to others, Lange decided as a young woman to embark on a career as a photographer. She opened a successful portrait studio but ultimately was compelled to take to the streets to document the impact of the Great Depression on the poor. Lange later traveled the back roads and less familiar places, chronicling the lives of people during hard times. Despite her physical problems due to childhood polio, she traveled to 22 states, capturing the poverty of the homeless, jobless, and hungry. Lange's photographs, published in newspapers and magazines, convinced the government of the need for assistance. Statements in bold red print found throughout the text explain the growth of Lange's caring and truthful approach, while descriptive words written in gray print highlight the feelings Lange had that caused her to stand apart from others as a sympathetic observer: "Different. Watchful. Curious." DuBois employs a muted palette, and the striking illustrations have a faded look that complements the setting and mood. End matter includes an author's note and reprints of several of Lange's photographs. VERDICT A solid introduction to one of America's most celebrated photographers.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

School Library Journal

2015-11-17
This brief, illustrated biography explores how the life of pioneering photojournalist Dorothea Lange influenced her art. Although the oil-pastel depictions of human bodies are at times distractingly awkward, the mostly autumnal palette complements the text as it teaches about its subject's (called Dorothea throughout) difficulties: polio, poverty, paternal desertion, and eventually, a family opposed to her "unladylike" choice of profession. After an excellent red-and-black spread depicting Dorothea's darkroom, the returning tawny colors work equally well to conjure the Great Depression. Throughout, boldly red-inked sentences suggest what apparently drove Dorothea from her lucrative, private portrait practice to become the sole woman on FDR's team of documentary photographers: "Dorothea sees with her eyes and her heart," and "Her heart knows all about people the world ignores." Interestingly, the text introduces the idea of "invisibility" as a photographer's asset. It also stresses Dorothea's perseverance despite her "forever-withered leg" and makes a clear, egalitarian stand about her subjects: "They are good people in real trouble." Backmatter reproductions of Lange's photographs greatly enhance the story. An excellent beginner's resource for biography, U.S. history, and women's studies. (author's note, bibliography, resources, timeline) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews