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Parker looks up : an extraordinary moment / by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry ; illustrated by Brittany Jackson.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Aladdin, 2019Copyright date: ©2019Edition: First Aladdin hardcover editionDescription: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781534451865
  • 1534451862
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "This book is based on the viral photograph of African American toddler Parker Curry, who, during a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, became mesmerized by Amy Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama, who she thought was a queen. One rainy afternoon, Parker's mother (co-author Jessica Curry) makes the suggestion that they visit the museum, little sister Ava in tow. At the museum, they see Parker's friend Gia and her mother. The three girls dance through the halls of the museum noticing horses, flowers, and feathers in the famous works of art. Just before they leave, Parker notices the portrait of Michelle Obama, stops in her tracks, and that viral photographic moment is born. Parker's thoughts about what she sees when she looks at Michelle Obama are assumed by her expressive gaze, well captured by illustrator Jackson. The reimagined images of the paintings are brilliant. In one, Einstein seems to be looking down on Parker and Gia, who laugh at his "bushy mustache," and ballerinas in "frilly white tutus" step out of the frame to join the girls as they dance down a hall. (The actual titles of the paintings are included in the backmatter.) One illustration shows a diverse group of children engaging in various activities, which invites young readers to imagine a world of possibilities for themselves, the way Parker does."--Kirkus Reviews.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Children's Book Children's Book Dr. James Carlson Library Children's Picturebook Arts & Creativity Curry Parker Available 33111009410800
Children's Book Children's Book Main Library Children's Picturebook Arts & Creativity CURRY PARKER Available 33111010495311
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A New York Times bestseller!

A visit to Washington, DC's National Portrait Gallery forever alters Parker Curry's young life when she views First Lady Michelle Obama's portrait.

When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald's transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn't just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen --one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl's imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book.

Parker Looks Up follows Parker, along with her baby sister and her mother, and her best friend Gia and Gia's mother, as they walk the halls of a museum, seeing paintings of everyone and everything from George Washington Carver to Frida Kahlo, exotic flowers to graceful ballerinas. Then, Parker walks by Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama...and almost passes it. But she stops...and looks up!

Parker saw the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in this powerful painting of Michelle Obama. An everyday moment became an extraordinary one...that continues to resonate its power, inspiration, and indelible impact. Because, as Jessica Curry said, "anything is possible regardless of race, class, or gender."

**FOREWORD BY ARTIST AMY SHERALD**

Ages 4-8

"This book is based on the viral photograph of African American toddler Parker Curry, who, during a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, became mesmerized by Amy Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama, who she thought was a queen. One rainy afternoon, Parker's mother (co-author Jessica Curry) makes the suggestion that they visit the museum, little sister Ava in tow. At the museum, they see Parker's friend Gia and her mother. The three girls dance through the halls of the museum noticing horses, flowers, and feathers in the famous works of art. Just before they leave, Parker notices the portrait of Michelle Obama, stops in her tracks, and that viral photographic moment is born. Parker's thoughts about what she sees when she looks at Michelle Obama are assumed by her expressive gaze, well captured by illustrator Jackson. The reimagined images of the paintings are brilliant. In one, Einstein seems to be looking down on Parker and Gia, who laugh at his "bushy mustache," and ballerinas in "frilly white tutus" step out of the frame to join the girls as they dance down a hall. (The actual titles of the paintings are included in the backmatter.) One illustration shows a diverse group of children engaging in various activities, which invites young readers to imagine a world of possibilities for themselves, the way Parker does."--Kirkus Reviews.

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