Be Water, My Friend

Review
By Booklist

Focusing on the childhood and youth of Bruce Lee, this biographical picture book portrays him as a boy who made mistakes, but learned from them. Growing up in Hong Kong in the 1940s and 1950s, Lee dreamed of becoming a film star and had little use for school. He took up martial arts and, though initially drawn more to its combat than its philosophy, he slowly began to understand the finer points of the discipline. When his fighting temper led to trouble with the police at age 18, his parents sent him to San Francisco for a fresh start. The book’s final page, ‘The Rest of Bruce Lee’s Story,’ summarizes the remainder of his life. By the author and illustrator of Baseball Saved Us (1993), this distinctive-looking book offers a smoothly written text and many handsome, textured acrylic paintings done in tones of brown and cream acrylic paints. With its sophisticated look and high-interest topic, this picture book has appeal for readers across a broad age range.