Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring

I teach art to kindergarten and second graders and this is the best book on Keith Haring I've seen. The illustrations are fabulous. The writing covers childhood through death: painting with his father, school in Pittsburgh, life in NYC, the subway series, the nightlife, his love affair with Juan, and his death from AIDS. It presents Keith as a human being and not just a guy who drew on everything. I loved reading this book myself, and was so proud to see how much students fell more in love with Keith after I read it to them.

The best Artist biography story book. The illustrator draws inspiration from Keith Haring’s style without copying it delivering fantastic images.The writing is flawless, including all the highlights from the Artist’s life without focusing too much on any particular moments.May not be suitable for young audiences in certain school settings due to discussion of sexual orientation.

I absolutely love this book. It’s perfect for all ages! Love the artwork and story.

Beautiful story, wonderful illustrations...I shared this book at my school with the Art Teacher who used it with her Zoom drawing class.The story narrated on an elementary level, is for those in upper elementary and middle school through high school.

My sister loved this book and was so happy when she got it.

I absolutely LOVE this book! It’s a beauty, both visually and in what it has to say. And also in the way those two elements work together. I love how brilliantly Mr. Cochran was able to convey the spirit of Keith’s drawings and work without copying it exactly. He followed his OWN line rather than Keith’s line, and in doing so echoed the joy of finding one’s own path in visual form. And he amplified Mr. Burgess’ story to the max. I love how this story seems to reverberate with the times in which we live. It's an accident of timing but the fact that AIDS plays into Keith’s story, is a reminder that nothing stops us. Ever. And despite the loss of Keith at such a young age due to AIDS, we still get to enjoy his work. His life story, as told by Mr. Burgess is unexpectedly about having to square with death and loss. But most especially, it's a celebration of the way in which we can all be silently drawn to the things we love, as Rumi said. And it demonstrates the benefits of living a life like that - an artist’s life. This book is a potent reminder to kids that such a life IS possible, no matter what the obstacles, and no matter who you are. I work with young people, and we recently asked a a group of middle schoolers - How do we discover who you are? One young student replied: “Your heart just tells you, and you obey.” DRAWING ON WALLS is a book that shows kids that there’s always something to be gained from simply listening to their hearts and obeying.James Lecesne (co-founder of The Trevor Project and The Future Perfect Project)

This is as good as a picture book biography gets.

Disappointed overall. Because it was not good for read aloud, even with great interest in Haring's life from my students. Also have a problem with the imitation of his style. Seems to lack respect for his actual work. Works better in the school library.