Leo Politi, Artist of the Angels

ANN STALCUP

Hardcover: 104 pages
Reading level: Ages 9-11

Leo Politi was a true innovator in children’s books. Rather than setting his stories in a generic landscape—the city, the town, or the farm - many of Leo's books detail individual cultures. His most famous book, The Song of the Swallows, combines his love of Latino life with a reverence for nature. A Caldecott Medal winner, The Song of the Swallows tells of the clouds of birds that return each year to a small church courtyard in San Juan Capistrano, California. 

All told, Leo wrote and illustrated over twenty books during the course of five decades. In Leo Politi: Artist of the Angels, Ann Stalcup, fan and friend of Leo’s for twenty years, chronicles the life and career of a man who lived to create art. Over fifty of Leo’s pieces - from massive mural to delicate sketch—enhance the story of his long and fruitful life.

PRAISE FOR LEO POLITI, ARTIST OF THE ANGELS

• School Library Journal -- "Enthusiasm for Politi's wonderful body of work will hopefully be renewed by this engaging biography. The author succinctly summarizes the artist's early life, paying particular attention to those influences that would later be reflected in his art and writing. The account of young Leo's devotion to his Indian chief's suit resonates with humor and foreshadows the imagination and pageantry in his later work. Budding artists will be especially drawn to Politi's single-minded pursuit of his vocation. The artist's paintings and drawings are spread liberally throughout the book to illustrate different phases of his creative development. Quotes from interviews with people who were close to him also bring his passions and interests to life. Long before multiculturalism was fashionable, Politi blazed a trail by portraying the vibrant ethnic communities of Los Angeles in his many children's books. Additionally, his devotion to architecture and historical preservation is reflected by several titles aimed at both children and adults."

• Kirkus Reviews -- "Stalcup bases her biography, the first ever of Politi, largely on interviews and personal memories - and rather than shape it as a conventional tally of travels and awards, she focuses on this Caldecott-winner's character, artistic development, and favorite themes. Born in Fresno, Politi grew up in California and Italy. He returned to the former as an adult on a voyage through the Panama Canal and up the west coast that crystallized his interest in Latino culture. He settled in the Los Angeles area, where he became an inveterate observer of Olvera Street and other ethnic neighborhoods.
  
• Adding a generous mix of paintings, sketches, and spot art, some of it previously unpublished, the author trails along, pointing out, for instance, how the caricatures in his first children's book, Little Pancho (1938), became real figures, drawn from life, in later titles, and how innovative it was then to depict ethnically specific children in particular, rather than generic, neighborhoods. Closing with a timeline and an annotated bibliography, this perceptive portrait should go far toward rekindling interest in an artist and writer whose reputation, outside his customary haunts at least, has faded considerably." 

• Author/Illustrator Elisa Kleven -- "Ann Stalcup's loving and scholarly tribute to Leo Politi is superbly researched, filled with personal anecdotes, little known photographs, and wonderful reproductions of Politi's vast body of work. The book explores the brilliant book creator's life and artistry.
  As a child growing up in Los Angeles, Politi's books brought wonder, joy and a respect for my city --and other places as well -- to my childhood. I remember pouring through the illustrations for hours, and wondering about the artist behind the beautiful pictures and gentle stories, the dramatic compositions and exquisite, singing colors. Stalcup's book has helped provide an answer. Like his art, Politi the man was playful and kind, quirky and intelligent, and he endowed everything he created with a soul. His books are a true gift to children."

• Sandy Shukett, California School Library Association -- "Ann does an absolutely magnificent job weaving many, many facts into a sensitive and heartwarming story that exactly portrays the essence of Leo and his work which was so far ahead of its time. I think ... Leo would have loved this book. It is the best legacy to his life and works that I have ever read, and all of the detailed "back matter" just makes it better! Thank you, Ann, for spending the time and energy on research and writing to make this happen!"