Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing

by Kay Haring, Robert Neubecker (Illustrator)

Iconic pop artist Keith Haring comes to life for young readers in this picture book biography lovingly written by his sister

This one-of-a-kind book explores the life and art of Keith Haring from his childhood through his meteoric rise to fame. It sheds light on this important artist's great humanity, his concern for children, and his disregard for the establishment art world. Reproductions of Keith's signature artwork appear in scenes boldly rendered by Robert Neubecker. This is a story to inspire, and a book for Keith Haring fans of all ages to treasure.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Art, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography Memoir, LGBT

40 pages, Hardcover

First published February 14, 2017

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child Keith Haring learned to draw from his father and did not stop. He drew on school papers and his clubhouse and created symbols for letters and numbers. He sold his bicycle for art supplies. While in school in Pittsburgh, break dancers inspired his work of scrambled bodies. At 20 years old, he moved to New York City and became a graffiti artist drawing on walls, sidewalks, and subway station panels and hung his work on lampposts. When his work sold out at his first art gallery show, he donated the money to hungry children. Even after he became famous, he still painted murals for the public to enjoy such as the six-story drawing on the side of a children’s hospital in Paris, France. He invited 900 children to join him on drawing on vinyl fabric of the outline of the Statute of Liberty in celebration of her 100th birthday.

In 1989, he created the Keith Harding Foundation to continue his artistic and philanthropic legacy and to provide “grants to undeserved youth and those affected by HIV/AIDS.” The book recommended to go to www.haring.com and at Haringkids.org as a resource for children to learn about art and Keith Haring. Sadly on February 16, 1990, he died of AIDs-related complications at 31 years old.

The vibrant and expressive children’s book full of Harding’s artwork and written by his sister should inspire any budding artist. Harding was passionate about sharing his art with the world and to keep on drawing. His work is bold, colorful, and flowing and typically his cartoon-like figures are outlined in black such as the crawling baby, barking dog, and energized people. Keith believed, “Everyone needs art.” 4.5 stars.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing exhibits the vibrant energy and colors of Haring’s work along with his generosity and desire to share his art with the world beautifully. Readers follow along from Keith’s creative doodles as a child to his most popular images and financial successes around the world later on. He wanted art to be accessible to all! So Haring found ways to share his work in murals, community projects, subway art, and more. From pen to chalk to paint, he used it all to draw, draw, and draw! Haring just kept on drawing no matter what or where.

“Draw anything. Whatever you want. No one can say it’s bad or good. It’s yours.”

Robert Neubecker was the perfect pick to depict Haring’s world on the page. His colors, crowds, and energetic chaos make the cities pop and the people stir with life. And Kay Haring brought a very personal touch to this story that filled the words with heart and love.

Highly recommended picture book bio filled with easy to read pages and pictures and information about a remarkable man and artist.

Read this book! It’s an inspiration. You’ll be doodling and coloring soon after for sure.

“EVERYONE needs art!!”

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember watching Sesame Street and Nickelodeon as a kid, and so I remember Keith Haring's dogs. They were these odds, serial characters made entirely out of thick black lines who would bark and then alter the reality of the world sometimes in small, sometimes in incredibly large ways. These dogs showed me, early on, that art could be a way of playing with the world around me, that it could be a way to observe and change my universe in any way I saw fit, and most importantly they taught me that great art should just be about playing.

Kay Haring has written a beautiful book that makes a lasting testament to her brother Keith who's influence is still being felt today. And best of all, her book captures her brother's life and aesthetic in a way that children will enjoy. The reader who reads The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing to their children will instill in them the idea that art is supposed to be about fun. Rather than about ego or aesthetic philosophy, art is about creating and not caring about what the culture or society tries to make the artist into. Creation is the way foster and encourage imagination which is ultimately what drives innovation and change.

This is a fun beautiful book about a gay man who created something unique, not because he cared about artistic legacy or aesthetic significance, but because he simply wanted to draw.

I loved this book.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this book is a little young for my readers, I picked it because I have a real soft spot for Keith Haring. I was in college, living on East 7th Street in the East Village when Keith hit the streets of NYC with his art. And it was everywhere. Each morning I would leave for school and there would be new Keith Haring art wherever you looked. Now, Keith's younger sister Kay has written a moving biography about here brother's too-short life.

Even as a boy, Keith drew everywhere - on paper, on tests, in his clubhouse, and in his room as a teenage while listening to loud music. In high school, after winning first prize for his art, he was offered money by someone who wanted to buy the winning drawing. Keith refused the money and told the person they could just have it. That's who he was - someone who felt everyone should be able to enjoy his art - a belief that never wavered when he went to art school in Pittsburgh, and later, when he moved to New York City in 1980. After drawing his signature figures all over the city - on sidewalks in chalk, on garbage cans in paint, on discarded furniture, on the sides of buildings and in subway stations - Keith began to be noticed and his art became a world wide phenomena.

It's clear his sister really loved her brother very much and knew him well. The repetition of "he just kept drawing" almost begins to feel like an understatement when you look at the illustrations depicting the preponderance of his art on so many different surfaces. I loved Robert Neubecker's complimentary illustrations of Keith's life, done without imitating his style, but keeping to the same kind of humor and lightness found in Keith's art (and yes, Mr. Neubecker, I also have fond memories of the 1980s downtown art scene).

The 1980s was indeed an exciting time in NYC, but it was also a time of tragedy with the AIDS epidemic that took so many creative people. So, be sure to read the Author's Note and additional information in the About Keith Haring section to learn about his early death from AIDS-related complications and the Keith Haring Foundation he established in 1989. This pat of Keith Haring's life was difficult to explain to my young readers, who had a hard time grasping the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous picture book biography written by the artist's own sister. I appreciated the messages throughout of the dedication in his life toward service work for others and access to art for all. The repetition of "...he just kept drawing" provided a nice flow to the story. Wonderful back matter with an author's note with family pictures from childhood, more information about Keith Haring's life, and details about the art that appears in the book. Would make a great #classroombookaday read aloud.

[Jessie Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+ and BRAVO!
This book does a service to all children to teach them about an important American artist. The way in which his story is presented, specific scenes & the illustrations make it completely accessible to kids and interesting for grown ups. My son and I loved it. (7yr. old)

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FABULOUS addition to the picture book biography genre. Loved learning more about this awesome person.

[Phobean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first page in this bright, interesting, compelling biography is the winner. When I opened the book to read it and saw that image I thought "perfect". In general I'm a fan of biographies written for children because I appreciate the way they distill stories and offer up details that are easy to identify with and remember. Keith Herring's biography, written by one of his sisters, is a great example of the power of this form. I also appreciated their care in both respecting Herring's privacy and presenting his life in a way that could get this book into the hands of children from socially conservative families who might otherwise object due to Herring' being queer. Sure, that's true about him and ALSO it's true that he was a prolific, skilled, fun, and successful professional artist with a penchant for equal access to art and beauty.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I've seen Keith Haring's art before, I didn't know anything about him. I'm so glad I read this new nonfiction picture book about him written by his sister. What a creative, inspiring life! I loved that his focus what on creating and making his art accessible to as many people as possible. I definitely want to read more about Keith Haring, especially his altruistic side.

What makes this book even greater is Robert Neubecker's illustrations and incorporating Keith Haring's art into it. There's a gallery of it at the back of the book as well as an Author's Note and more information about Keith Haring and his foundation.

[Marjorie Ingall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Workmanlike prose, wonderful illustrations. I love Robert Neubecker's work (and miss reading WOW, CITY! to my now-ancient children). The snippets of Haring's work (Neubecker carefully copies some of Haring's childhood paintings and drawings, for instance) and those of his contemporaries (I spy a Basquiat) included in the appropriately bright, lively illustrations are a nice touch.

As ever, with a picture book or middle-grade biography, I wonder about what's missing.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about Keith Haring before reading this book-I recognized his style of artwork but that was it. I enjoyed reading this story and learning about Keith's caring and kind ways. He seemed like a wonderful man and it sad we lost him at such a young age. I have already recommended this book to the art teacher at my school since I can see it being used in several art lessons. Has a great message to just keep on drawing.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Keith's sister for writing this book! Such a loving tribute to a true artist and humanitarian who wanted everyone to enjoy his work, not just people who had money to buy it. (Love that her little bio says she "spends time in southern CA, Hawaii, and Utah, but her heart resides in Pennsylvania." Mine too.)

[Jenn Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hooray, so... he kept drawing. I admire authors who write for the sole purpose of pleasing themselves. This is what this book feels like. It is even stated that it was created in response to the question about what he was like as a kid.
If a child is very interested in being an artist, I can see how this book may be interesting and inspiring.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super informative & colorful... and I love how intensely it focused on his commitment to make art available to everyone. Didn’t mention that he was gay, however, and spent barely any time at all on his AIDS activism.

[Stacy Natal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit long but but a good biography about the life and art of Keith Haring. Loved that his artwork was woven throughout, and his message about art being for everyone. It will speak to the doodlers in the class.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of an artist who did his own thing and always gave back to help others in need.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that they incorporated images of his actual art and the art of his contemporaries. Sentence structure was repetitive but illustrations were fantastic.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, but wish there had been a bit more in the actual story about the end of his life and his HIV/AIDS activism.

[Jen Bojkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018 Bluebonnet.
Biographical look at the life and art of Keith Haring. Nice look at an artist who believes art is good for everyone and how he makes art accessible to as many people as possible.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better the second time I read it, because I was no longer expecting the text to tell me a ton of biographical information. Instead, it's a celebration of art and generosity.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great picture book, written by the subject's sister. It's age-appropriate and positive.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was lovely. I loved the drawings.

[Evelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish it was more thorough, really loved discovering it with an art-loving 7-year-old. And it sure does spark joy to create since she removed the cover paper, argued she really needed it, because the cover looks the same anyway. Then she added some layers on the cover (like buttons and scraps and feathers and well, googly eyes) and started building the book of her own inside it. Thank you for that, Keith Haring!

[Elizabeth Sorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Haring is an artist who started as a boy who loved to draw. He always happened to be drawing at the wrong place and the wrong times, but as the story says, “…and he just kept drawing.” Keith’s love for drawing grew when he noticed a group of people breakdancing and how their bodies moved; his drawing soon did too! Keith moved to New York and that’s where his inspirations grew and so did his career. I chose this book because I was drawn to the pop of cartoon illustrations. I looked closer and the drawings in the story looking familiar because I noticed them everywhere throughout my childhood! In a reading classroom, students can use this story to identify the main purpose of a text, like what the author wants to explain, answer or describe!

Genre: Non-fiction
Grade Level: K-3

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing, written by Kay A. Haring and illustrated by Robert Neubecker, a picture book biography of the beloved American artist.

When Keith was a little boy, his father taught him how to draw, and from that moment on, nothing could stop him from doing so. Through his adolescence, teens, and adulthood, he would draw in the margins of his schoolpapers, on blank walls, on subway station ad spaces, even bicycles and streetlamps. People would ask him why – why draw his unique outlined figures? Why give away his art and money to charities and the less fortunate? Why was he always, always, ALWAYS drawing? And Keith would smile and answer that “art is for everyone”,… then just keep drawing.

I want to love this one. It has so much going for it: there are wonderfully strong messages about creativity, passion, generosity, and accessibility to art. The energetic illustrations do a fabulous job of incorporating Haring real-life pieces as well as having an overall look that pays homage to his unique style. But there was just one thing I couldn’t get past, and it was the exclusion of Haring’s most important works, especially those that brought attention to gay rights and the devastating AIDS epidemic. Haring’s social-commentary pieces were some of his most passionate, and recognized a community that was being aggressively underserved. Especially considering that Haring himself died of AIDS complications at a tragically young age, this omission is surprising. The author, Haring’s sister, likely had good reasons – and the story is still strong without these details – but as a fan of Haring’s, I was disappointed to find this representation missing. Otherwise, it’s a good length and JJ loved the art, so it’s a tough call. Ultimately, we’re going to say this one is Baby Bookworm approved, but encourage your bookworms to find out more about Haring from other sources as well.

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how they mixed Haring's real art, especially the childhood pieces, into the story.

[Jennifer Bacall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keith Haring: the Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay Haring is a bright and buoyant introduction to the artist. Kids meet Keith as a child and they learn about his perseverance through the repeated messages, “he never stopped drawing”, “and just kept drawing”. It’s a great way for kids to see a first-hand experience of how persistence and hard work pays off over time.

Haring began creating his art on the street. He wanted it to be accessible to everyone. It is clear that even though he began to make money for his art that was never his drive. His drawings consist of complicated things (people, babies, dogs) drawn as simple shapes, in bold colors with expressive action lines around them. Many people don’t understand how Haring’s art made it off the street and into galleries, and onto fashion runways. The author, Haring’s younger sister, addresses these issues directly asking, why questions on every page. “Why didn’t you take the money?” “Why are you drawing pictures that look like scrambled bodies?” The text covers an impressive arc of the artist’s life as well as encouraging readers to think about different aspects of art and its value to society.

The illustrations have a Haring look without being imitative. They are an infusion of photos of some his actual pieces spliced into new original drawings by Robert Neubecker. The end pages have fabulous, busy Haring doodles.

The book shies away from the artist’s personal life and struggles with AIDS and drugs and does not mention his death in the text. Although there are brief mentions of these topics in the four-page author’s note at the end of the book. This section also features photos of the artist.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Twas at the library to return something. My son wandered up to the children's department. I went up to retrieve him. I saw the display of new picture books. I perused it and saw this. It's a winner!

I've always enjoyed Haring's art. Don't know a whole lot about him. Visited the Pop Shop once or twice while in NYC. First time I think was in '88, but not certain.

Anyhow, this is written by Haring's sister. She wrote this to answer the question, "What was Keith like as a kid?" I think she did a good job of answering that. He liked to draw and he kept on doing that. That was the familiar refrain throughout the text that was littered with examples of his art.

The book presented Haring as very accessible. Additionally, the book did well to present the message that Haring thought art should make people happy and be for everyone; hence, the public display.

I recently read Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild. There was a passage in there that discussed that students are often turned off of biographies because they are written in a sanitized manner and they sense that. This book is such a book. Haring's life incorporated themes that would not be appropriate to delve into in a children's book. They are understandably left out. But that does leave a veneer on the text. Perhaps it is just I know more than the text states, but I don't think so. It is a march through his life, but it's the straight line.

Overall, a fine book about an artist I like.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun look at an inspiring man.

[Andrea Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this to teach art and discover the story behind the artist.