Go West!

Award-winning artist Joel Nakamura is known for his unique style: a blend of folk art and sophisticated iconography rendered in a neo-primitive technique. He is chosen for many of his commissions for his knowledge of tribal art, mythology, and for his ability to convey stories and information in an intricate and engaging manner. Nakamura's ability to render humanity in such primal, edgy hues has captured the attention of clients like Time Magazine, US News & World Report, and the Los Angeles Times. His paintings have enlivened the pages of many other books and publications, as well as the 2002 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies programs. Nakamura has been profiled in Communication Arts, Step Inside Design, Confetti and Southwest Art magazines.

New Mexico's National Book Festival Selection for 2016 "Not since Horace Greeley has the American West had such a vocal advocate...Nakamura blends fact, fable, and fantasy in a vision that goes well beyond the West being a place where the deer and antelope play. "Go west! Where alarm clocks have legs and feathers," he writes, hand-drawing the text as a rooster's crow; nearby, celestial objects dot the dust at the bird's feet, a campfire coffeepot runs off on two legs, and a hybrid dog/cowboy hat dreams of bacon and eggs...it's a vibrantly imagined and illustrated tribute to the magic of the West and its wide-open spaces." --Publishers Weekly "Cowgirls and cowboys can dance the two-step off into the sunset of this gorgeous picture book. Nakamura's bold rainbow of paint colors evokes the timeless natural beauty of the American West, and his whooping prose will echo across the mountain peaks of children's imaginations." Ages three and up. -- 5 out of 5 STARS, Foreword Reviews Magazine: Best Children's Picture Books, Fall 2015 "Wolves, coyotes, roadrunners, cowgirls, cacti, mesas, smoke signals, and chile peppers all make an appearance, lending the book the flavor that is at once contemporary, historic, and mythic. It's a delight for adults as well as children. The author's full-page illustrations, hand-painted using cactus spines, capture the spirit of the land, and he fills each composition with small details that make a second read more enriching than the first." --Pasatiempo Magazine of Arts, Entertainment & Culture "I was thoroughly enchanted by Go West!, Joel Nakamura's delightful new children's book. The amazing illustrations and whimsical story perfectly capture the enduring appeal of "the west." The book would fill a unique spot in any picture book collection and it would be a wonderful addition to storytimes. Libraries would be well-served to add this charming book to their shelves." --Bonnie Weber, Whittier Library 2015 Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award Winner: Best Writer/Illustrator, Gold Medal 2015 Moonbeam Children's Book Award Winner: Best Illustrator, Silver Medal 2015 USA Best Books Award Winner: Best Hardcover Nonfiction Children's Picture Book