Publisher's Synopsis
"Brushstrokes of Brilliance" - How a Village Dreamer Painted Words the World Still Recites
Step into the cobbled streets of late-Ottoman Bsharri, where a curious boy with a sketchbook in his pocket and stars in his eyes feels the pulse of cedar-scented mountains. That boy is Gibran KhalilGibran, the son of a struggling mother who spins stories beside a flickering lamp to keep hope alive. Your young reader will follow Gibran as he crosses an ocean to Boston's SouthEnd, learning English by day and doodling moonlit cedars by night. They will feel the sting of prejudice, the thrill of discovery inside a public library stacked higher than any Lebanese summit, and the rush of pride when his first charcoal exhibition stops well-heeled Bostonians in their tracks.
But the adventure doesn't end at the gallery doorway. Voyage onward to Parisian ateliers glowing with turpentine fumes, then back to NewYork's Greenwich Village cafés, where fiery debates about art and freedom spark his pen to life. In lyrical scenes, Gibran shapes "The Prophet," watches it soar across continents, and discovers that true genius is less about applause and more about listening to the silent ache of every human heart. By the final page, your child will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with an older, white-haired Gibran on a Lebanese hillside as he whispers his creed-"You are far greater than you know." The tale ends, yet its echo urges young dreamers to sharpen their pencils, lift their voices, and carve their own mountains of meaning.
- Fully colored, gallery-grade artwork-vibrant spreads immerse readers in Boston snow, Paris rain, and Lebanese sunrise.
- Short chapters with lyrical language keep 7- to12-year-olds turning pages while expanding vocabulary and imagination.
- Historical sidebars unpack immigration waves, Middle-Eastern culture, and early-20th-century art movements without feeling like homework.
- Creative "TryItLikeGibran" prompts invite kids to sketch feelings, craft mini-poems, and stage tiny exhibitions at home.
- Pronunciation guides and Arabic script snippets foster intercultural curiosity and confident reading aloud.
- Parent-child discussion questions transform bedtime stories into heart-to-heart conversations about courage, identity, and kindness.
