Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.

Radiant Child summarizes the childhood and rise to fame of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the famous artist. While it offers some solid insight into his upbringing and the multicultural nature of his home (with a Puerto Rican mother and Haitian father), it also touches on his mother's mental illness and the way her struggles inspired him to make her proud. It's a moving story, no doubt, but I don't think it works well as a children's book; the art is so inspired by Basquiat's work that it is confusing and hard to follow at times, and the nuances of the story, as well as its delivery, would be lost on most children, I think. I'd recommend this less for children and more as a "coffee table" book for anyone who wants a visually fascinating nonfiction short to keep around.