Born to Draw Comics: The Story of Charles Schulz and the Creation of Peanuts

by Ginger Wadsworth, Craig Orback (Illustrator)

A mixed-panel format picture book biography of Charles "Sparky" Schulz, creator of the beloved comic strip Peanuts.

As a child, Charles split his free time between adventures outdoors with his friends and dog Spike, and daydreams and doodles inspired by the comics he loved to read. He longed to become a professional cartoonist, but saw his dreams deferred by unexpected challenges that laid ahead: military deployment to the European front of World War II, and the heartbreak of a family tragedy back home. Even so, Charles never lost sight of the hopeful joy of his early years and his love for Spike, both of which inspired PEANUTS. The comic strip went on to become the most popular and influential in comics history.

For fans of Brad Meltzer’s New York Times-bestselling picture book biography of the Muppets and Sesame Street creator, I Am Jim Henson.

Christy Ottaviano Books

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Art, Comics, Childrens, History

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful biography of Charles Schulz - sure to inspire any young artist! As I get older I find myself appreciating Peanuts more and more; kind of brings back lots of memories from when I was a small boy. As of late I have seen a certain 'Zen' aspect to Charlie Brown; his desires always seem to get him in trouble! Wonderful bio!

[Hannah Garden]

Mom mailed me this for Christmas :)

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful illustrations help tell the story of Charles Schulz--creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang that generations of people know and love. This traces the artist's childhood through the first successful publication of his comics under the "Peanuts" banner. Fans will see how numerous aspects of Schulz's life found a spot in his comics.

Humane parents note: The Schulz family dog, a black-and-white hound who no doubt inspired Snoopy, is well-loved but also has a habit of eating things, including pins, tacks, and razor blades, without apparent injury, and this is looked upon as amazing and humorous by his people. This could provoke some good discussion about how our knowledge and standards of pet care have evolved over the years, and what would be the best way to react today if our pet would consume such dangerous objects.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for the fans of the Peanuts and Snoopy , especially for those not ready for chapter books. The back matter offers additional detail.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Born to Draw Comics: The Story of Charles Schulz and the Creation of Peanuts by Ginger Wadsworth, illustrated by Craig Orback. PICTURE BOOK / NON-FICTION Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt and Company), 2019. 19.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Charles Schulz was nicknamed Sparky after a popular cartoon character. When Sparky was in elementary school, he used his imagination to make creative pictures and his teacher told him he might be an artist one day. Sparky loved reading the comic strips from the paper and drawing his own stories about his dog Spike. Sparky went to war and when he returned he started drawing cartoons that featured kids for the Saturday Evening Post. Eventually, Charles’ comics were named Peanuts and became a daily comic strip in the newspapers.

This biography of the creator of the Peanuts comic strip is simple and concise. There’s more information in an author’s note at the back. The illustrations aren’t like the Peanuts illustrations at all and there aren’t any pieces of the Peanuts work in the book, which was a bit disappointing. I think most kids will pass this book by because the art isn’t recognizable.

Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peanuts is so ubiquitous, yet I never knew much about Schulz. His story of persistence is relatable for young artists who face their own setbacks and obstacles. It was fun to see how elements of his childhood carried forward in the comic (like his troublemaking pet Spike). The beautiful illustrations pay fitting tribute with Sunday funnies colors and fun panel formatting. Great book!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was growing up, the Peanuts comic strip was one of my favorite ones to read when I was perusing the Sunday funny pages and the daily newspaper. Not only was the strip humorous and relatable to me as a child, but as I grew older, it seemed that the strips became a bit more philosophical and meaningful in different ways. I loved Snoopy, Woodstock, and Charlie Brown and his obsession with baseball. This picture book tells the story of this artist through panels that resemble comic strips and more traditional artwork. The artist used acrylic/gouache paint, pen and ink, colored pencil and Adobe Photoshop to tell this man's interesting story. Born in Minneapolis, Charles Schultz became known as Sparky after his uncle gave him that nickname, and his artistic leanings were nurtured by at least one teacher and his parents. While he seemed to have lived a mostly idyllic life, he struggles with math and later, as an adult serving in the military, he was devastated to lose his mother to cancer. Through everything, though, he was always drawing and looking for publication avenues for his comic strips. Eventually, he got the break he was looking for, and created almost 18,000 strips over the course of his long career with Peanuts being syndicated in more than 2,600 newspapers. Readers will enjoy reading about the antics of his beloved dog Spike, who served as the inspiration for Snoopy in the comic strip. Fans won't want to miss the Author's Note or the Artist's Note as well as suggested places to visit to find tributes to Charles Schultz. Some budding artists may feel encouraged about their own career paths after reading about this man who touched the lives of so many readers through a humble comic strip.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars because I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. The story feels like it oculd have been greatly condensed, and parts of it are drawn out that feel really strange because it doesn't really tie together? The author talks about how "Sparky" really liked sports, randomly, sandwiched between instances where the author talks about him drawing... but never likes, ties that to Charles Schultz's later art? Or the fact that he was pulled forward TWO grades could have really tied to his desire to write about childhood... but that's never really addressed. I feel like a lot of the 'happenings' of his life were said like bullet points without tying anything together. It was nice to see that he got rejected a lot but didn't give up - that's certainly going to make a difference for children reading the book - but the fact that there is not a single Peanuts picture? Or that the author talks a LOT about Sparky's childhood dog but... never... mentions... how important that was.... to creating Snoopy? It's as if the author wanted you to make all the connections yourself but if you knew nothing about the Peanuts, you'd be left closing the book asking yourself, "So? What did any of that matter?"

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've visited the Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa and read Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz written for a middle-grade audience, but this is a nice introduction to the man behind Peanuts. The illustrations have a 50s vintage feel that sometimes appears a little stiff. I love the illustrator's inclusion of his childhood drawing of Charlie Brown and Snoopy as he tried to learn the art. How fun it must have been to illustrate a mentor's biography!

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this exploration of Peanuts creator Charles Schultz's childhood and development as a cartoonist. The comics framing by the author/illustrator is a lovely touch. Kids who aspire to be a comics or graphic novel author and/or illustrator will love this book. Thoughtful back matter includes author note, biographical information, a compendium of the Peanuts gang, and further exploration of Charles Schultz's life and work.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Charles Schulz presented in comic/graphic format becomes accessible for many ages.
Created with the colorful appea thl and simple images of "Sunday Funnies", this will be a widely shared biography and may inspire some reluctant writers to research and present an admired subject in similar simple-line, speech bubble text, linear style.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book! I am a huge Peanuts fanatic, but I did not know a lot about the creator of Peanuts, as well as his back story. This book was very inspiring, and it teaches kids that you can achieve your dreams and goals with hard work and persistence. This book made me so happy and warm/fuzzy feeling, giving me another reason why I love Peanuts even more!

[Martha Trzepacz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed. I expected more indepth infomation but then I am an adult who grew up in the Peanuts era. For the younger set it is a good introduction. Loved the format and the illustrations.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid biography that honors Schulz, the text is rather dry however and there are some big-time leaps, would have liked more information about some aspects, but the illustrations were a lovely connection to Schulz.

[emyrose8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5- Very detailed biography of Charles Schulz. My only complaint is that it didn't really show too much of the Peanuts themselves. The kids I read it to were a little fuzzy on who the characters were. Real photo, author's note, and illustrator's note.

[Kelly]

Terrific biography. I learned a lot. Not sure if it wasn't allowed, but I wish they had put at least one Peanuts comic in the book to show his work.

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE THESE BOOKS EVEN CHARLIE BROWN

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging, enjoyable picture book biography.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laid out in comic panel style, this is a wonderful book of how Charles Schulz came to be the artist he was. Fantastic!

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Interesting book about the legendary snoopy creator!

[Patricia Gmitrovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book for parents of budding artists. The childhood story of Charles Schulz and what inspired the forever popular comic strip Peanuts.

[Rahchell Cornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated. I learned a lot about Charles Schulz that I had not known.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up from 4.75 stars

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An charming introduction to the creator of one of most beloved comic strips.

[Billy Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent children's book that introduces one of the greatest comic strip artists ever to young readers.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to learn about Charles Schultz, but the writing was quite dry.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-illustrated and informative book about a classic comic creator. Fun to look through and read.

[Doug Moramarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love anything about Peanuts. It's nostalgic for me. When I ordered this book I thought it was going to be more of a graphic novel than a children's book, but I enjoyed it anyway

[Ann Haefele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book biography told with a combination of traditional text and graphic novel style. Charles Schultz knew he wanted to be a professional cartoonist since he was young, and stuck to his dreams through deployment in WWII and many newspaper and magazines rejections later in life. He was lucky to have a very supportive family who encouraged his drawing and helped him to seek out opportunities to advance his talent and interests. Lots of information about his life is in this biography , with even more detailed facts at the end. The illustrations really drew me in.