Halloween to me means dressing up. It’s all about choosing the exact right outfit. Polka Dot Parade is a picture book biography that celebrates that urge to dress up, but in everyday life, not just the exceptional holiday.
Polka Dot Parade tells the story of Bill Cunningham, a ground-breaking fashion photographer who pioneered the use of candid street shots. He was fascinated by what people choose to wear and traveled around New York City on his bicycle, snapping photos of fabulous outfits, regardless of who was wearing it and where they were. His focus was squarely on clothes and fashion. In one instance, related in the book, he discovered that he had taken a candid photo of Greta Garbo. He hadn’t realized he was snapping a photo of someone famous, just that he wanted a picture of her fantastic outfit.
The book talks about how Cunningham approached his art and his tendency to shun publicity.
The art, watercolors by Masha D’yans, focuses, just as Cunningham would have, on the fabulous fashion rather than on the people wearing it. It’s a beautiful book to look at.
Polka Dot Parade: A Book about Bill Cunningham by Deborah Blumenthal, illustrated by Masha D’yans. little bee books: 2018.
Alyson Beecher hosts the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge at kidlitfrenzy.com. Visit there for more great nonfiction picture books!
This is completely new to me, Annette–book and person! Thanks for sharing. I do love that people have done things like this, highlighting people, and things, that intrigue or invite attention.
I hadn’t heard of it either but stumbled across it on a bookstore shelf. It’s such a nice match to some of the other books recently out about photographers and fashion designers.
I haven’t heard of this one either! Love the cover, it’s eye catching!