Greenberg, Jan and Jordan, Sandra. Action Jackson. Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker. Brookfield, Conn: Roaring Brook Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0312367510
Author Website: http://mowrites4kids.drury.edu/authors/greenberg/, http://www.jangreenbergsandrajordan.com/
Illustrator Website: None
Media: Watercolor
Awards: Robert F. Silbert Honor
Use of Alliteration: (p. 4) “scent of salt,” “blackberry bushes,”
Use of Onomatopoeia: (p. 7) “flies buzz,” “sliding doors rattle,” (p. 17) “Fireworks splatter of rosy pink.”
Use of Repetition: (p. 7-8) “Not Jackson.” (p. 23) “Some angry. Some confused. Some excited. Some filled,”
Use of Rhythm: (p. 20) “Paint, paint and more paint, dripping, pouring, flinging.”
Curricular Connection: California Standards for Visual Arts, Grade Five, Standard 1.0, Artistic Perception, 1.2: Identify and describe characteristics of representational, abstract, and nonrepresentational works of art.
Detailed Artwork Discussion: Robert Andrew Parker’s watercolor illustrations are simply beautiful and are the perfect means of communicating Jackson Pollack’s artistic genius. Parker imbues his art with the emotions of Jackson at every point in the story. We see Jackson’s messy collection of ordinary paint from the hardware story, drawn with messy dabs of watercolor (p. 9) and we feel the emotion of Pollack’s creative process in the black splatters of paint when he initiates “Lavender Mist,” (p. 11). On a day when Pollack doesn’t paint, but reflects on his work in progress, Parker uses light-filled colors of aqua and sandy beige to convey Pollack’s calm mood (p. 15). Telling Pollack’s story might be daunting for another artist, but Parker’s illustrations are superb and reinforce the power of Pollack’s art and art in general.
Annotation: Action Jackson is the story of how artist Jackson Pollack created his work entitled, “Lavender Mist.” The story offers insight into Pollack’s artistic inspiration and working style.
Personal Reaction: I’m a fan of Pollack’s work and I’ve seen a movie about him and viewed many of his works in museums, but this picture book gave me a unique sense of Pollack the artist at work. Greenberg and Jordan’s decision to show Pollack as he creates a single piece of work takes the reader into Pollack’s world. The reader understands the creative process, what it is about Pollack’s style that sets him apart and how he spends his time when he’s not painting. Details make this man’s life resonant: “If a penny fell out of his pocket, he would leave it. An insect lands in the wet paint, and there it stays,” (p. 19). The story ends with a photographic reproduction of Pollack’s actual finished piece, “Lavender Mist,” (p. 23) and a two-page biography of the artist (p. 28-29).
