Two Brothers, Four Hands - Hardcover

Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan have collaborated on many award-winning children's books about artists, including Action Jackson (Sibert Honor Book), The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius (Sibert Honor Book), Ballet for Martha (Sibert Honor Book and Orbis Pictus Award) Christo and Jean-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond, Meet Cindy Sherman, the recent recipient of five starred reviews. Sandra Jordan lives in New York City. Jan Greenberg lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Hadley Hooper is a fine artist whose illustration work includes art for the Coretta Scott King winning memoir How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson. She received considerable attention for her illustrations for Patricia MacLachlan's The Iridescence of Birds. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

★ "Hooper’s evocative mixed-media illustrations capture the period in stunning detail. Featuring a strong black line, they bring figures into the foreground in scenes awash in pink, blue, green, or gold. . . . Don’t miss this moving, brilliantly illustrated picture book portrait of brothers in art."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "Multiaward-winning team Greenberg and Jordan are best known for their astonishing ability to decode and explore sophisticated artists and movements . . . Hooper's low-key, child-friendly details keep readers turning the pages. . . . An extraordinary achievement and a moving, affecting evocation of two lives lived together."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "Hooper’s loosely drawn and colored illustrations are a fine accompaniment to the less structured forms of both Giacomettis. Observant readers will notice how the shadow of the brothers arm-in-arm pays tribute to Alberto’s style. Concluding thumbnails of the brothers’ art, an analysis of Alberto’s Walking Man, and other important back matter add further insight. A moving introduction to this creative and symbiotic pair."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "Illustrations by Hooper (Mabel and Sam at Home) exude warmth in expressive black contours, and large planes of colored wash—the blue of Paris at night, the red of war—provide the spreads with moody overtones. Diego and his devotion to his brother emerge as the story’s most appealing elements in this fascinating retrospective."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ "Hooper’s art, in paint and ink and finished digitally, is cohesive yet strikingly dynamic; see the final vignette of the two brothers together casting long, skeletal shadows recalling Alberto’s famous style. Back matter respectfully guides readers through looking at Walking Man II; photos, source notes, a timeline, and a bibliography are included."—The Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review

"Short sentences impel the narrative forward with poetic pulse and economy, and the careful balance of the Giacomettis’ art and domestic worlds extends the title’s interest. The vibrant colors of Hooper’s mixed-media illustrations are, though appealing, nearly extraneous in light of the commanding black line work that harmonizes with Alberto’s and Diego’s slender metal creations." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books