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

A lyrically told, exquisitely illustrated biography of influential Jewish artist and activist Ben Shahn

A 2022 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner
A 2022 Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Picture Book

"The first thing I can remember," Ben said, "I drew."
As an observant 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 both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what's right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art--by disarming classmates who bully him because he's Jewish, by defying his teachers' insistence that he paint beautiful landscapes rather than true stories, by urging the US government to pass Depression-era laws to help people find food and jobs.
In this moving and timely portrait, award-winning author Cynthia Levinson and illustrator Evan Turk honor an artist, immigrant, and activist whose work still resonates today: a true painter for the people.


Author: Cynthia Levinson
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 04/20/2021
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 10.20h x 10.30w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781419741302
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.8
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 514818 / People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art


Award: Golden Kite - Honor Book
Award: Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/15/2021 pg. 37
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2021
Publishers Weekly 03/22/2021
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2021 - Book Of Special Distinction
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2021 pg. 135

About the Author
Since she doesn't draw or paint, Cynthia Levinson tells true stories about brave people, like Ben Shahn, and the injustices they've faced through words. She loves doing research, which has allowed her not only to visit Shahn's studio but also to walk with soldiers of the civil rights movement, fall off a tightwire, and read letters in a condemned building surrounded by police tape. Cynthia's books for young readers have won many awards. She lives in Austin and Boston. Evan Turk is an Ezra Jack Keats Book Award-winning illustrator, author, and animator. He is the author-illustrator of The Storyteller, You are Home: An Ode to the National Parks, and A Thousand Glass Flowers. He also illustrated Grandfather Gandhi and Muddy, a NYT Best Illustrated Children's Book. Originally from Colorado, Evan now lives in the Hudson River Valley with his husband and two cats. He is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and continues his studies through Dalvero Academy.