Great biography of Charles Schulz, including how he got started and his shy reaction to fame. ( )

This biography of the life and adventures of Charles Schulz was one of the most entertaining and inviting stories for all readers. With captivating illustrations and very plain English, the authors and illustrators. The way that the story and the author uses the life of Charles to tell a story and bring the comic characters to life is beautiful and compelling. ( )

The life of Charles Schultz was actually quite amazing to read. The book takes you through the journey of his life. He was born in St.Paul, Minnesota and nicknamed "Sparky". His father owned a barbershop collecting 35 cents a hair cut. Although they weren't rich, they were a supportive family. They encouraged Sparky to keep drawing. At the age of 20 he was drafted into the military. A few months into his time in the military he got a weekend pass to visit his mother who was dying of cervical cancer. He went back the day after her funeral. After he was discharged from the army, he started to create comic strips. He started with Snoopy, the name of the dog his mother wanted before she died. Then he traveled to New York and put in his comic strips and they loved the Peanuts. Sparky had 6 children with his first wife. They were his life. He divorced after 21 years of marriage and then he married again. He had open heart surgery years later. He had grand children who he loved dearly and the day after he died, his last Peanuts strip was published. ( )

Quick read for anyone interested in the life of the cartoonist behind the Peanuts comic strip Charles Schulz aka Sparky. I grew up reading all about Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang; this biography was perfect for learning all about Sparky himself as it includes family photos and rare strips based on the beloved characters. ( )

Little Kid Reaction: My daughter picked this as a biography project for school (third grade). She knew about Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang, but she was fascinated by all of the other things that she learned. Every couple pages she would stop to read us a paragraph or tell us about something that piqued her interest.

Big Kid Reaction: After my daughter finished reading, I read the book. The layout is very "Shulz-ish," with speech bubbles and bright colors (Charlie Brown yellow). I also loved that it didn't idealize either Shulz' craft or his life. Instead it showed how he drew on the tough times as positives for telling a story in just a few panels.

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