The Sign Painter by Allen Say
A Wonderful Addition To Anyone's Library
In his Caldecott acceptance speech for GRANDFATHERS JOURNEY,
Allen Say told of his difficulty in separating his dreams from reality. For him
this separation was not as important as finding a meaning behind the
contradictions and choices we all must make in life and their
consequences.
Early one morning a boy comes into town, hungry, and looking for work.
He meets a sign painter who takes him on as a helper. The boy yearns to
be a painter. The man offers him security.
The two are commissioned to paint a series of billboards in the desert.
Each billboard has one word, Arrowstar. They do not know its meaning. As
they are about to paint the last sign, the boy looks up and sees in the
distance a magnificent structure. Is it real? They go to find out.
Through a simple text and extraordinary paintings, the reader learns of
the temptation of safe choices and the uncertainties of following a personal
dream. Here Allen Say tells a haunting and provocative story of dreams
and choices for readers of all ages.
Personal Review: The Sign Painter by Allen Say

I just found this book and was fascinated by the fact that he does so much
with so little. I spent a wonderful hour or so trying to track down the artists
he is obviously referring to. Because he doesn't include them anywhere in
the book, it's like a treasure hunt. The Edward Hopper references are
obvious on the first and last page. There's Norman Rockwell (the older
sign painter sitting and painting when we first meet him), Ansel Adams (a
black and white of a mountain), Magritte (a billboard with clouds), and a
nod to Georgia O'Keefe (the cattle skull). There appears to be a reference
to Russell and/or Remington with the scene of the two main characters
sitting at a campfire against a big sky, but I didn't get around to finding an
actual painting since I was pressed for time. The whole situation of the
book seems to refer to Andy Warhol and pop art/advertising, but I couldn't
find a Warhol work that was specifically used. There are several
illustrations that seem to have references (a bright magenta convertible
with a blonde driving, a road leading into a stylized landscape, a huge
structure of scaffolding, etc.) that I haven't been able to place, but I'm
planning on having fun searching with my kids! My husband had fun
seeing if he could place them also (not to mention the librarian who was
helping me! One of the reasons I'm writing this review is so if others are
looking for what the references are they can find a more complete list than
I was able to find -- I hope others add their observations!).
The story itself is, like many other Allen Say books, somewhat
autobiographical and dreamlike. Not your typical children's book at all. If
you're looking for a neat way to give a wide age range of kids an
introduction to 20th c. art (mostly American), this is great. They can comb
through collections and say, "Hey! Look what I found! This is just like that
picture when the boy..." Younger kids can just enjoy the story about a
young painter who has to paint things he's not particularly interested in to
make a living while he hopes to one day be able to paint what really moves
him.
I'm considering using it for a homeschooled kids lit gathering we're a part
of, having the older kids go out and hunt down the references (hopefully
they'll find some of the ones I didn't!), and letting kids who want to draw
their own version of a picture that pays homage to an artist whose work
they themselves enjoy.
Wonderful story on many levels. Five stars.
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