Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol

by James Warhola

When James Warhola was a little boy, his father had a junk business that turned their yard into a wonderful play zone that his mother didn't fully appreciate! But whenever James and his family drove to New York City to visit Uncle Andy, they got to see how "junk" could become something truly amazing in an artist's hands.

Uncle Andy's offers an exciting and unique perspective on one of the most influential artists of our time. Through James' eyes, we see the things that made his family visits memorable-including the wonderful disarray of Andy's house, waking up surrounded by important art and incredible collected objects, trying on Andy's wigs, sharing the run of Andy's house with his twenty-five cats (all named Sam), and getting art supplies from Andy as a goodbye present. James was lucky enough to learn about art from an innovative master and he shows how these visits with Uncle Andy taught him about the creative process and inspired him to become an artist.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

James Warhola is an American artist who has illustrated more than two dozen children's books since 1987. Prior to that, he illustrated science fiction and fantasy paperback covers. His paintings are showcased in the permanent collection of the Warhola Museum in Medzilborce, Slovakia, a museum devoted entirely to the work of artists in his family.

A native of Smock, a coal-mining region in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and of Rusyn origin, he is the son of Paul Warhola, Andy Warhol's oldest brother. He lives with his wife in New York State.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my daughter. The boy’s dad brings junk home from the junkyard for him and his siblings to play. His uncle considered junk as art and filled his apartment full of it but his mom thinks it’s all junk until one day she thinks otherwise.

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol is a picturebook memoir about a surprise family visit to Andy Warhol's NYC house through his 7-year-old nephew's eyes. What a cute, exciting, and unique perspective on the famous pop artist!

James Warhola's simple, feel-good story about family and art is full of childlike wonder and is accompanied by his lovely, humorous, detailed, and dynamic illustrations:

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit With Andy Warhol is a children's picture book written and illustrated by James Warhola. It recounts the story of a young James Warhola on one of his visits to his uncle, Andy Warhol.

June, at least in my part of the world is LGBT Pride Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.

Andrew "Andy" Warhol was an American artist, director and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, silk-screening, photography, film, and sculpture.

The text is rather simplistic and straightforward. Told from the perspective of a young James Warhol, it depicts a surprise family visit to their famous uncle, Andy Warhol, and their grandmother in New York City and it is also the beginnings of young Warhol’s journey into become an artist himself. The illustrations are beautiful done and depicted the narrative rather well.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. After paying tribute to his father, a scrap-metal sorter who delighted in bringing home interesting junk, Warhola recalls piling into the station wagon with his six siblings for the long ride to New York, then bursting into the townhouse shared by Andy Warhol, his mother, 25 cats named "Sam," and an enthralling clutter cookie jars, carousel figures, painted soup cartons, and portraits of celebrities.

All in all, Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit With Andy Warhol is a wonderful tribute to art and the separation between junk and art is not as far as one thinks, because, as the young Warhol concludes, art is everywhere.

[Greta is Erikasbuddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super cute!!

It was written by Andy Warhol's nephew who visited him back in the 60s before he got mega famous with his Campbell's Soup Can boxes/paintings.

It made me laugh when they went home with all his old wigs. I had no idea he wore a wig. Even when I watched "Basquiat" I had no idea. I thought it was weird that he was giving out wigs for Christmas.

It wasn't until after I watched a PBS documentary on him that I understood that he had been wearing wigs for a long time.

Another thing is that Andy's mom lived wit him. That's also in the books because she is gushing over the grandkids.

It was a super cute book! I recommend it to all kids.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every page!

'Andy' became an acquaintance when I was in school. Not that I ever met him, but I did live with a giant Campbell soup can that hung on the landing of the stairway. I didn't much care for the painting, but it wasn't my house so I didn't have any say in the matter. Every time I used the stairs, whether going up or down, I saw that painting and I'd wonder why Warhol chose to paint a giant soup can and why anyone would want to own the painting. Why was this considered art?

But now, after this 'formal' introduction by his nephew, I feel the need to learn more about this man and his body of work.

[Severin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a wonderful book about an artist and made me curious to learn more about him .

[Celebrilomiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book assumes a pre-existing awareness of Andy Warhol, his personality, and his accomplishments, but it doesn't convey much about him himself except that he was eccentric, abstracted, wore a wig, and thought everything was art. (Maybe that's all you need to know about Andy Warhol.) The prose starts out with an adult reflecting on his childhood, but ends with a child talking about his present as if it is currently happening — the chronology of the book seems inverted, which leaves the conclusion feeling unbalanced.

[Mell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great gift to give to kids (or adults), especially for anyone connected to Pittsburgh. James Warhola recounts a visit to his Uncle Andy Warhol: the house is full of art and wonderful junk.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When James Warhola was a little boy, his father had a junk business that turned their yard into a wonderful play zone that his mother didn't fully appreciate! But whenever James and his family drove to New York City to visit Uncle Andy, they got to see how "junk" could become something truly amazing in an artist's hands.

Uncle Andy's offers an exciting and unique perspective on one of the most influential artists of our time. Through James' eyes, we see the things that made his family visits memorable-including the wonderful disarray of Andy's house, waking up surrounded by important art and incredible collected objects, trying on Andy's wigs, sharing the run of Andy's house with his twenty-five cats (all named Sam), and getting art supplies from Andy as a goodbye present. James was lucky enough to learn about art from an innovative master and he shows how these visits with Uncle Andy taught him about the creative process and inspired him to become an artist.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to like this book, but meh. I learned some superficial things about Andy Warhol that I didn’t know, but the actual story here isn’t developed. It’s hard to discern who the central character is that I’m supposed to be rooting for — Dad, the author, Andy, or even Mom who finally starts to understand something about art? Even what the book possibly reveals about art feels superficial as presented—that trash is art? It’s not shown in a way that makes non-believers see it. My 5 year old also grew bored with this book quickly, and she loves art and re-purposing her found treasures...thought it would be up her alley.

[Carole Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story about how a part of Andy Warhol's family would pack up and visit him and their grandmother in New York City. Andy's brother's Paul is a junk man that finds usefulness in everything. The story is about how Paul and his family visit Andy and their grandmother in 1962. For Paul's children, this is quite an adventure to visit their famous uncle and see that he also found usefulness and art in everyday things - soup cans, etc. We often forget that the famous also have families and we may never know how their fame influences other family members.
This another book that was in my classroom library when I taught elementary school.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the appearance of this book fool you into thinking that it is only for children. The beautiful colors and drawings might make you think so, but Andy Warhol himself was the epitome of art in so many different forms. I have been a fan of his work for many years. The book tells the story of Andy's brother, wife, and their children packing up their car in rural Pennsylvania and visiting Uncle Andy at his home in New York City. They loved visiting their grandmother and Andy, who lived together and were fascinated by Andy's view that everything was art. Their visit was full of adventure, and was repeated many times.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun way to introduce Andy Warhol to my kids. The story was written by James Warhola, one of Andy's nephews, and discusses one of their family's many visits to Andy's house in NYC. It's heartwarming to see the kind of impact that Andy's passion for art had on James, who has since created a name of his own in the art world. (Consider his picture book Bubba the Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale). I would recommend this book to anyone looking for fun, alternative resources to add to their art history curriculum.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful adventure as the oldest brother, a rural junkman, takes his wife and many children on surprise visits to his mother and his own youngest brother, the eccentric, "pop" artist Andy Warhol in NYC. JUst as his Dad makes "art" out of junkyard treasures, his son, inspired by Uncle Andy, starts creating his own "art," this time with his mother's support.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Picture Book) Delightful book showing another side of the quirky artist-his family! The illustrations are fabulous and the first hand account by his nephew shows a loving if not conventional uncle. It gives great details about how Andy Warhol lived and how he comes by hoarding honestly. I loved the part about Andy passing along all of his old white wigs to him and his siblings.

[Margaret Bussan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a perfect text to pair with Me and Uncle Romie. I used it in my 4th grade classroom during whole group and then we looked at text connections. Students made connections with going to visit family members, artists using junk and other items in their creations, and so much more.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story as it is both a book about a wonderful family, an fun trip to see family, and about a famous artist all wrapped into one. My only suggestion is I wish they had been a postscript with more information on Andy Warhol. James Warhola's text and illustrations mesh into a great book!

[📚Linda Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Uncle Andy’s, his nephew shows us the intimate family side of the great artist Andy Warhol. The book also provides one interpretation of the importance of making art. Oh, and there are lots of cats. >^..^<

[Diane B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story about Andy Warhol through the eyes of his nephew. James recalls his visits to the famous artist's studio as a young child, and we are treated to seeing Warhol in a wholly new dimension.

[Bridget]

Love Andy Warhol and children's books? This one's for you! It's created with great love and affection by Warhol's nephew. The author photo featuring a beaming (not the robotic persona that the public was treated to) Warhol is worth the price of the book alone! :)

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Warhola illustrates a family trip to visit his famous artist uncle, Andy Warhol.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had had this book as a kid . . . My father and grandfather did the same work Warhola's father did, and maybe I'd have felt better when my peers made fun of me for living in a junkyard . . .

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for young kids but does not have vocabulary or specific background to explain things.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun story that gives a glimpse of Andy Warhol through the eyes of his nephew.

[Roxann Kelly]

Loved it.

[Melybee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un bello cuento escrito e ilustrado por el sobrino de Andy Warhol, prácticamente nos cuenta cómo fue para él tener un tío artista famoso.

[Megan Mastrianni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was well written. Ordered it after going to the Andy Warhol museum. I was interested in all things Warhol.

[J C0llier · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet book. If based on the truth, I learned a bit about Andy's family. I enjoyed this story.

[Mersi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute!

[Lupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

How interesting! The illustrations are just as important as the printed words. This is a perfect book for budding artists!