Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol

Uncle Andy’s is the story of Andy Warhol’s nephew James, and his visits to his famous uncle’s home in New York City. The story opens with James explaining that his father is “a junkman.” Paul, Andy’s brother, was constantly bringing home and collecting junk, saying, “This can make good art.” So begins the lesson that anything can be art. One day the family decides to visit Uncle Andy and their grandma “Bubba” in New York City. All eight of the Warhola’s pack into the decrepit family station wagon and travel from the cow pastures to the city. Through rich detail and colorful illustrations, James shows his uncle’s famous “pop art.” From the Campbell’s soup paintings to the Marilyn Monroe prints, James, the writer and illustrator, reveals his uncles famous art through illustration. From “junk” sculpture in his front yard to famous, expensive art, this story confirms that art is all around us. Art is everywhere.

As a teacher, I would use this book to introduce a lesson on “pop art.” I would have my students find something that they think exemplifies their generation and we would create art around that object. My students would have total artistic freedom. Painting, photography, sculpture, etc. would all be accepted. The purpose of reading Uncle Andy’s in correlation to a lesson on the creativity of art, shows that art is everywhere, and as long as my students believe in their design, I will consider my lesson to have been successful.

Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol. ISBN 0-399-23869-7. James Warhola. 2003. International Reading Association Children & Young Adult Book Award. Age 4-8. Children’s Non-Fiction.