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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

“Now this is how you make great pictures.” A creative child, James VanDerZee is awed by the photograph of his family produced by a contraption called a camera. After saving enough money to buy a camera of his own, James starts small, taking photographs of his family and classmates. As a young adult, he becomes an assistant photographer at a New Jersey portrait studio. Initially confined to the darkroom because of the color of his skin, James carefully adjusts and retouches the portraits to make people shine. Eventually, James opens his own studio in New York. He excels at putting customers at ease and setting the scene before shooting photographs. Thanks to his innovative methods and his penchant for photographing middle-class African Americans (uncommon subjects at the time), James enjoys great success during the Harlem Renaissance. This book recounts not only the career but the exceptional artistic vision of a photographer whose body of work documented 40 years of history in Harlem. (Ages 6-10)

CCBC Choices 2018 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2018. Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from June 5, 2017
In an absorbing debut, Loney introduces African-American photographer VanDerZee, who moved from Massachusetts to Harlem at age 18 with a dream and a camera: "He saw what was special in everyone and captured each person's story on film." Mallett's lush acrylic paintings glow with a golden light in several scenes, treating his subject (and the Harlem Renaissance movement he documented) with the same reverence VanDerZee brought to his work. Loney closes on a triumphant note with VanDerZee's photographs on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An extensive afterword features several of VanDerZee's photographs and additional insights into his life and work. Ages 7â€"11. Author's agent: Jill Corcoran, Jill Corcoran Agency.

From School Library Journal

June 1, 2017

Gr 1-3-James VanDerZee (1886-1983) was a prolific photographer who used his camera to capture the beauty and dignity of his subjects. This picture book biography not only introduces readers to VanDerZee's life but also provides a glimpse into the Harlem Renaissance and highlights some techniques used in early photography. As a young man, VanDerZee was the second person to own a camera in his small town of Lenox, MA. His love of his family and neighbors fueled his passion. The evenly paced narrative describes how VanDerZee moved to New York City and became a successful photographer, despite racism. Although he took pictures of a wide array of people, he focused mainly on the black middle class and occasionally on celebrities, such as Joe Louis and later Jean-Michel Basquiat. The refrain, "Take a picture of me, James VanDerZee!" echoes throughout. Through photography, VanDerZee was able to create a nuanced depiction of life in Harlem in the 20th century. The attractive illustrations, acrylic on canvas, skillfully convey the expressions and sentiments of the images that inspired them, with some original photographs included in the afterword. VERDICT Vivid visuals and comprehensive text combine for an excellent resource for biography collections.-Jamie Jensen, Coy Miller Elementary School, Little Elm, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Kirkus

May 1, 2017
It happened with a click!As a young boy in Lenox, Massachusetts, James VanDerZee is introduced to a new device--the camera--that changes his life. Glowing acrylics shot with light show James as he saves up for his first camera and begins to experiment and grow as an artist, while straightforward prose focuses on notable and interesting aspects of his life. Ready for adventure, James moves to Harlem at age 18 and, after working a series of odd jobs, is able to establish himself as a studio and street photographer, depicting other African-Americans in Harlem, from politicians to musicians to sports heroes and from the middle class as well as the more commonly photographed rich and poor. When cameras become readily available to consumers, VanDerZee's skills fall from favor, and it is not until years later, when an exhibition called "Harlem on My Mind" presents his collected work, that he receives the recognition he deserves. Children will be drawn in by VanDerZee's struggles, inspirations, and achievements as well as the idea that photographs can be both works of art and enduring historical records--and that they can be taken by devices other than phones. Backmatter includes an afterword, a bibliography, and a selection of VanDerZee's photographs. A fascinating look at the development of early photography, the life of an African-American artist, and the world of the Harlem Renaissance. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

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