"When I was born, the doctors told my mom that if I did survive I would have lots of health problems and be blind, deaf and severely mentally delayed . . . Boy were they wrong!" ―Tyler Gordon
Fifteen-year-old Tyler Gordon's journey from a regular kid growing up in San Jose, California, to a nationally recognized artist wasn’t without its challenges. For the first six years of his life he was fully deaf, which led to a stutter and bullying. Art gave him a creative outlet for his pain. Then, after painting a portrait of Kamala Harris and posting it on social media, he received a call from the vice president herself! Soon his art was everywhere. He had an interview with the The Today Show. He was the youngest artist featured in the Beverly Center. His portrait of LeBron James graced the cover of TIME Magazine. And that was only the beginning!
Here is a debut picture book by partially deaf prodigy Tyler Gordon, featuring his bold paintings of over 30 icons―musicians, artists, writers, civils rights leaders, sports legends, change-makers, record-setters, and more―alongside short explanations of how these people inspire him.
If Tyler can make art and follow his dreams, you can, too. We all can.---from the publisher
40 pages 978-0374389666 Ages 4-9
Keywords: anthology, biography, overcoming adversity, inspiration, heroes, empowerment, encouragement, African American author, art, artist, deafness, diversity, diverse books, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old
Note:
The thirty-four inspiring people celebrated here are: Kamala Harris, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Colin Kaepernick, Naomi Osaka, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant, Jackie Robinson, Lebron James, Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Chadwick Boseman, Janet Jackson, Bob Marley, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Tyler Perry, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Ice Cube, Viola Davis, Amanda Gorman, Prince, Whoopi Goldberg, Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and Jean-Michael Basquiat.
