From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-Warhola, nephew of the artist Andy Warhol (who dropped the "a" from his last name early in his career), recounts his family's relationship with his famous uncle. Several times a year, he, his siblings, and his parents surprised Andy and his mother with a visit to their home in New York City. Warhol's house, always crammed with all kinds of things, including 25 cats, was a giant playground for the children. But the author's mother considered the place an untamed mess. To her "Gee, Andy, when you going to get rid of this stuff?" he countered, "Ohhh, no. This is art." And indeed, Warhola's text reiterates the theme that art is everywhere, a truth that his mother comes to realize in the end. The large watercolor illustrations usher readers into the New York City of the '60s, the streets crowded with tail-finned cars, the Automat and RKO Palace among the buildings lining the sidewalks, and a store window advertising pork chops for $.39 a pound. Boxes of Campbell's soup, paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and other stars, and many other objects that eventually found their way into Warhol's art abound throughout his house, and a cutaway view of all five floors, with cats peeping out everywhere, will hold readers' interest. In spite of the artist's eccentricities, among them his wigs and his cats, the author's evident admiration for the man who invigorated his own artistic talent shines in this story. For more information on Warhol, see Linda Bolton's Andy Warhol (Watts, 2002).Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CTCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. James' life couldn't be more different from Uncle Andy's. His dad (Andy's brother) is a junkman, and the wonderful introductory spread shows the Warholas' shabby house, its lawn strewn with trash and treasures. Every so often, James and his family head to New York to surprise their artist uncle and the kids' grandmother, and for James it's like stepping into another world, as the exciting pictures of driving into the city so clearly express. Andy Warhol thinks everything is art, so there are painted soup cartons in one room and crumpled cars in another. The children love watching him create, but it is young James who truly gets the bug, and the artwork in this book is a testament to his considerable talent. Most kids won't know who Andy Warhol is (the author's note introduces him), but celebrity doesn't really matter here because children will be enamored with this off-beat artist, who owns dozens of wigs and has dozens of cats (all named Sam). It would have been nice to have a few photos of Warhol's artwork, but the re-creations Warhola provides, integral parts of the illustrations, give kids a good idea of what Andy's pictures were like. This catches the excitement that the creative process can engender, both for the established artist and for the dreamer. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

ANNOTATION

The author describes a trip to see his uncle, the soon-to-be-famous artist Andy Warhol, and the fun that he and his family had on the visit.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When James Warhola was a little boy, his father had a junk business that turned their yard into a wonderful play zone that his mother didn't fully appreciate! But whenever James and his family drove to New York City to visit Uncle Andy, they got to see how "junk" could become something truly amazing in an artist's hands.

Uncle Andy's offers an exciting and unique perspective on one of the most influential artists of our time. Through James' eyes, we see the things that made his family visits memorable-including the wonderful disarray of Andy's house, waking up surrounded by important art and incredible collected objects, trying on Andy's wigs, sharing the run of Andy's house with his twenty-five cats (all named Sam), and getting art supplies from Andy as a goodbye present. James was lucky enough to learn about art from an innovative master and he shows how these visits with Uncle Andy taught him about the creative process and inspired him to become an artist.

About the Author: James Warhola is the illustrator of If You Hopped Like a Frog and The Christmas Blizzard.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Warhola (If You Hopped Like a Frog), a nephew of pop art's premier icon, provides an outrageously prosaic chapter from his uncle's ultra-hip life. "Jamie's" first-person anecdote begins at his cluttered, blue-collar home, in rural Pennsylvania in August 1962. Paul, Jamie's father and also Andy Warhol's oldest brother, is a heavy-set man in oily overalls who works at the scrap yard and tinkers with metal. "One day, Dad came home from work and announced, `It's time to visit Bubba [grandmother] and Uncle Andy in the big city.' " Jamie, his parents and five siblings pile into a battered station wagon and head to Manhattan. They arrive unannounced and bearing gifts ("Dad always remembered to bring Uncle Andy something interesting from the junkyard. This time it was a giant magnet"). Warhola points out the similarities between the artist and the "junkman"; Andy, like Jamie's father, is a pack rat who collects carnival memorabilia and shoes, and paints soup cans. The author portrays himself and his siblings doing chores for his uncle ("He let me help him with his giant paint-by-number sailboat painting"), and cramping Andy's style by waking him early and catching him without his wig ("Of course, we all knew Uncle Andy was bald, just like Dad and Uncle John"). Warhola suggests that despite superficial differences, his quirky family and cosmopolitan uncle are not so far removed, and his distinctly un-glamorous account bridges the perceived culture gap (albeit leaving out sex, drugs and the Factory social whirl). This volume may speak best to readers who know the Warhol legend, but Uncle Andy's support of his budding-artist nephew will strike a universal chord. Ages 5-up. (Apr.) FYI: Warhola is the subject of an interview in Children's Books, p. 123. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

You don't have to know anything about the artist Andy Warhol to enjoy this story of how a youngster can be inspired, but if you do it can deepen your understanding of him. James Warhola writes as the artist's nephew, recalling one particular visit his family made to his grandmother and his famous uncle in New York City in 1962. They drive from the country to the noise and congestion of the city. The lengthy but lively text tries to describe the cluttered studio, the working artist, and the excitement of his life in the city, all of which inspired Warhola to become an artist himself. Page after page of detailed watercolors provide a proper understanding of the country life and the city clutter. The early scenes are familiar views of rural America, with front yards strewn with intriguing stuff rescued from or destined for the junkyard. A cutaway picture of Warhol's five-story-plus roof dwelling shows an urban parallel. Naturalistic but light-hearted, including fun with the famous Warhol wigs, the visual tale is biographical but also philosophical, raising questions about the definition of art. In a note, Warhola fills in details behind the story. A great introduction to the artist. 2003, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers,

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-Warhola, nephew of the artist Andy Warhol (who dropped the "a" from his last name early in his career), recounts his family's relationship with his famous uncle. Several times a year, he, his siblings, and his parents surprised Andy and his mother with a visit to their home in New York City. Warhol's house, always crammed with all kinds of things, including 25 cats, was a giant playground for the children. But the author's mother considered the place an untamed mess. To her "Gee, Andy, when you going to get rid of this stuff?" he countered, "Ohhh, no. This is art." And indeed, Warhola's text reiterates the theme that art is everywhere, a truth that his mother comes to realize in the end. The large watercolor illustrations usher readers into the New York City of the '60s, the streets crowded with tail-finned cars, the Automat and RKO Palace among the buildings lining the sidewalks, and a store window advertising pork chops for $.39 a pound. Boxes of Campbell's soup, paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and other stars, and many other objects that eventually found their way into Warhol's art abound throughout his house, and a cutaway view of all five floors, with cats peeping out everywhere, will hold readers' interest. In spite of the artist's eccentricities, among them his wigs and his cats, the author's evident admiration for the man who invigorated his own artistic talent shines in this story. For more information on Warhol, see Linda Bolton's Andy Warhol (Watts, 2002).-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews