Starred review from January 1, 2024
Grades 1-4 *Starred Review* Sebasti�o Salgado always loved his parents' farm in the Mata Atl�ntica (Atlantic Forest) of Brazil, and this love of the land would blossom into a career as an award-winning photographer and photojournalist. Hoelzel's lyrical text describes Salgado's interconnected journey from photographer to environmental conservationist in this stunning picture-book biography. After speaking out against Brazil's government, Salgado and his wife, L�lia, were forced to flee to Paris. There, L�lia purchased Salgado his first camera, unexpectedly setting him on a new path, captured symbolically through an image of his awakening mind. In exquisitely detailed watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, Alarc�o recreates Salgado's style and the landscapes in which he worked as he used photography to tell the stories of people and their struggles. Overwhelmed by hopelessness after observing so much tragedy, however, Salgado only wanted to return to his beloved homeland. Once a paradise, his family's farm was now in ruins from deforestation. Upon L�lia's suggestion that they plant a new rain forest, Salgado becomes newly inspired to photograph the planet's last remaining natural spaces and humans' connection to them--work he continues to this day. Alarc�o's visual representations are as bold as Salgado's dreams. The biography concludes with information about Sebasti�o and L�lia Salgado's environmental education center and the Mata Atl�ntica as well as a map of the area.
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February 12, 2024
The creators focus on a Brazilian photographer’s path to environmentalism in this empathic profile of Sebastião Salgado (b. 1944). Opening remarks emphasize Salgado’s youthful connection to the outdoors: “He swam with the/ caimans and played/ under a waterfall.” Later discovering the power of a camera to “organize how the world fit together,” the figure begins traveling the world as a photographer (“Click! Beauty! Click! Presidents! Click! Wars!”). After witnessing civil war in Rwanda and putting down his camera, Salgado returns to Brazil and finds the land in ruins. When he and his partner undertake a massive reforestation project, it catalyzes his return to photography, this time with the aim of inspiring environmental preservation: “He photographed Indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest to show how humans continue to live in harmony with the planet.” Alarcão’s carefully shaded watercolor and pencil artwork is equally adept at presenting the person behind the camera and resultant images. The result is a rallying portrait of an artist and visual storyteller. An author’s note and resources
conclude. Ages 6–9.
Starred review from January 15, 2024
Brazilian photographer and environmental activist Sebasti�o Salgado used his camera to galvanize the world. Growing up in the lush Mata Atl�ntica forest of Brazil, Sebasti�o cultivated a respect for nature early. That sentiment stayed with him even after he moved to S�o Paulo and then, after speaking out against the government, fled to Paris, where he took his first photograph. When his work as an economist sent him to Rwanda, he discovered that images were better than reports at telling a more complete story about the people, their lives, and the land. He became a globe-traveling professional photographer, documenting everything from protests for labor rights to wars to environmental destruction. When he returned to Rwanda, the country was in the midst of civil war. The violence affected him so deeply that he retired from photography. He and his wife, L�lia, returned to the Brazilian farm of his childhood to heal, only to find his childhood paradise ravaged by the timber industry. They set out to reforest the land. When the forest began to recover, Sebasti�o returned to his camera and traveled the world, documenting humans' relationship with nature. Major events in Sebasti�o's life are competently presented for young audiences, with clear chains of cause and effect. Throughout, Hoelzel explores the theme of humanity's place within nature. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are lush and engrossing, and the many double-page illustrations create an immersive experience. An inspiring account for aspiring environmentalists and photographers. (author's note, about Instituto Terra, information on the Mata Atl�ntica, partial list of Sebasti�o's awards and honors, select photographic essays produced by Sebasti�o and L�lia Salgado, bibliography and other sources, map) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)
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