The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art

The People's Painter is a moving and exquisitely illustrated biography of Ben Shahn, a Jewish immigrant artist and activist. The book traces Ben's journey from an observant child in Lithuania, where his father's banishment for demanding workers' rights ignited his sense of justice, to his life in America. It highlights how Ben used his art to challenge bullying, defy conventional art teachings, and advocate for social welfare during the Great Depression. This book is a powerful introduction to art as activism, immigration, and standing up for what is right, making it suitable for children aged 4-11.

""The first thing I can remember," Ben said, "I drew." As an observant young child growing up in Lithuania, Ben Shahn yearns to draw everything he sees-and, after seeing his father banished by the Czar for demanding workers' rights, he develops a keen sense of justice, too. So when Ben and the rest of his family make their way to America, Ben brings with him both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what's right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art-from challenging classmates who bully him for being Jewish, to resisting his teachers' calls to paint beautiful landscapes in favor of painting stories true to life, to using his work to urge the US government to pass Depression-era laws that help people find food and security. In this moving and timely portrait, award-winning author and illustrator Cynthia Levinson and Evan Turk honor an artist, immigrant, and activist whose work still resonates today: a true painter for the people"--