I Juan de Pareja

"The author creates a fresh and different approach to biographical fiction. The novel is also an eloquent testimonial to the bonds between races."--"School Library Journal," Starred Review
"This brilliant novel captures and holds the attention from its rhythmic opening sentence--'I, Juan de Pareja, was born into slavery'--all the way through to the end. . . . A splendid book, vivid, unforgettable."--"The New York Times Book Review"
"The book is full of memorable scenes . . . Many paths of interest lead from this original, beautifully written story."--"The Horn Book Magazine"
"An excellent novel, written in the form of an autobiography, about the painter Velazquez and his Negro slave and assistant, Juan de Pareja . . . [who] was legally prohibited from painting because he was a slave."--"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"

Juan de Pareja, the slave who prepares the paints and canvases of the artist Velazquez, describes his work with his master and the climate of Spanish court life."