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Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood
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About Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II
Product Description A memoir in paintings and words by internationally acclaimed illustrator, author, and teacher James McMullan. A Booklist Top 10 Biography for Youth“It is this dreamlike quality of my memories that I wanted to capture in some way in the paintings that accompany the text--to suggest in the images that the events occurred a long time ago in a simpler yet more exotic world, and that the players in that world, including me, are at a distance.” Artist James McMullan’s work has appeared in the pages of virtually every American magazine, on the posters for more than seventy Lincoln Center theater productions, and in bestselling picture books. Now, in a unique memoir comprising more than fifty short essays and illustrations, the artist explores how his early childhood in China and wartime journeys with his mother influenced his whole life, especially his painting and illustration. James McMullan was born in Tsingtao, North China, in 1934, the grandson of missionaries who settled there. As a little boy, Jim took for granted a privileged life of household servants, rickshaw rides, and picnics on the shore—until World War II erupted and life changed drastically. Jim’s father, a British citizen fluent in several Chinese dialects, joined the Allied forces. For the next several years, Jim and his mother moved from one place to another—Shanghai, San Francisco, Vancouver, Darjeeling—first escaping Japanese occupation then trying to find security, with no clear destination except the unpredictable end of the war. For Jim, those ever-changing years took on the quality of a dream, sometimes a nightmare, a feeling that persists in the stunning full-page, full-color paintings that along with their accompanying text tell the story of Leaving China. From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up—In this poignant memoir, McMullan, illustrator of Kate McMullan's bestselling I Stink picture book (HarperCollins, 2002) and creator of more than 50 posters for Lincoln Center theater productions, chronicles his childhood during World War II. Born in Tsingtao, China, in 1934, young Jim lived a life of privilege as the son of wealthy Europeans. His grandparents went to China as missionaries. They operated an orphanage for abandoned infant girls and later taught the young women to embroider. Their distinctive cutwork creations became the seeds of a profitable exporting business, the James McMullan Company. By the time Jim was born, his family was among the best known in Cheefoo, and his parents were the toast of the lavish social scene. Everything changed, however, when the war began. Jim and his mother traveled from China to Canada and to India while his father served with the British Army. While Jim had difficulty adjusting to new schools and was bullied because of his strange accent, his mother suffered from depression and alcoholism. The book is composed of one-page vignettes that face a corresponding full-page watercolor scene illustrating a pivotal moment in the McMullan family history and/or Jim's childhood. Delicate layers of pale green, soft lavender, and rich ocher tones bleed and blend into deep violet shadows-a subtle visual nod to the themes of nostalgia, isolation, and loss explored throughout the work. McMullan's compositions are both quiet and stirring in their depiction of a lonely little boy struggling to find his place in a chaotic and often unkind world. In addition to McMullan's personal remembrances, the book also offers readers a glimpse into what life was like for children growing up during this time. Fans of memoirs, students studying World War II, and aspiring artists will find much to appreciate.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal From Booklist *Starred Review* The first nonfiction title in the still new Algonquin Young Readers imprint, this is a memoir of celebrated artist McMullan’s early years, from age 2 to 11. His was a hopscotch childhood, thanks to WWII. Born in 1934 in Tsingtao, China, he subsequently
