Leaving China : an artist paints his World War II childhood

cover image

Where to find it

Information & Library Science Library — Juvenile

Call Number
J92 McMullan
Status
Available

Authors, etc.

Names:

Summary

A memoir in paintings and words by internationally acclaimed illustrator, author, and teacher James McMullan.



A Booklist Top 10 Biography for Youth



"It is this dreamlike quality of my memories that I wanted to capture in some way in the paintings that accompany the text--to suggest in the images that the events occurred a long time ago in a simpler yet more exotic world, and that the players in that world, including me, are at a distance."



Artist James McMullan's work has appeared in the pages of virtually every American magazine, on the posters for more than seventy Lincoln Center theater productions, and in bestselling picture books. Now, in a unique memoir comprising more than fifty short essays and illustrations, the artist explores how his early childhood in China and wartime journeys with his mother influenced his whole life, especially his painting and illustration.



James McMullan was born in Tsingtao, North China, in 1934, the grandson of missionaries who settled there. As a little boy, Jim took for granted a privileged life of household servants, rickshaw rides, and picnics on the shore--until World War II erupted and life changed drastically. Jim's father, a British citizen fluent in several Chinese dialects, joined the Allied forces. For the next several years, Jim and his mother moved from one place to another--Shanghai, San Francisco, Vancouver, Darjeeling--first escaping Japanese occupation then trying to find security, with no clear destination except the unpredictable end of the war. For Jim, those ever-changing years took on the quality of a dream, sometimes a nightmare, a feeling that persists in the stunning full-page, full-color paintings that along with their accompanying text tell the story of Leaving China.

Contents

  • Throwing a Grape p. 4
  • The Two Houses p. 6
  • James and Lily Arrive p. 8
  • The Cemetery Tower p. 10
  • Saving the Babies p. 12
  • Building the Orphanage p. 14
  • Cutwork Embroidery p. 16
  • Lily Finds Buyers p. 18
  • The Four Siblings p. 20
  • James Jr. Brings Back a Bride p. 22
  • Life in Cheefoo p. 24
  • My Mother in the Garden p. 26
  • My Father at the Piano p. 28
  • The Musical p. 30
  • The American Navy Visits p. 32
  • The Drowned Man p. 34
  • The Japanese Army Arrives p. 36
  • The Japanese Commandant p. 38
  • The Road Blockades p. 40
  • The Night Runners p. 42
  • The Chinese Scrolls p. 44
  • The Costume Ball p. 46
  • At the Dock p. 48
  • USS President Coolidge p. 50
  • My Father Joins the British Army p. 52
  • White Houses and Green Lawns p. 54
  • Bad Nights in Grand Forks p. 56
  • The Wrong Accent p. 58
  • The Beautiful House p. 60
  • My Cousin Alan p. 62
  • The Moment on the Reef p. 64
  • The Russian Artist p. 66
  • Quartered in a Buddhist Temple p. 68
  • Leaving Salt Spring p. 70
  • The Vaulting Horse p. 72
  • Weekends with Rose p. 74
  • My Father Is Reassigned p. 76
  • Leaving New York p. 78
  • The Bombing Scare p. 80
  • The Garden on Malabar Hill p. 82
  • The Upper Bunk p. 84
  • The Houseboat p. 86
  • Be a Man! p. 88
  • Calisthenics p. 90
  • The Best Friend p. 92
  • Getting the News p. 94
  • General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart p. 96
  • The Flight p. 98
  • The Crazy City p. 100
  • My Mother's Admirers p. 102
  • Across the River p. 104
  • Mr. Ryan p. 106
  • On the USS Breckenridge p. 108
  • All the Rest, Very Briefly p. 110
  • Acknowledgments p. 112

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