Brenner Barbara - The boy who loved to draw: Benjamin West

Text copyright 1999 by Barbara Brenner
Illustrations copyright 1999 by Olivier Dunrea

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

www.hmhco.com

The illustrations in this book are gouache on paper.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Brenner, Barbara.
The boy who loved to draw: Benjamin West / Barbara Brenner ; illustration by Olivier Dunrea.
p. cm.
Summary: Recounts the life story of the Pennsylvania artist who began drawing as a boy and eventually became well known on both sides of the Atlantic.
1. West, Benjamin, 17381820Juvenile literature. 2. PaintersUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature.
[1. West, Benjamin, 17381820. 2. Artists.] I. Dunrea, Olivier, ill.
II. Title.
ND237.W45B74 1999
759.13dc21 [B] 97-5183 CIP AC

ISBN 978-0-618-31089-0

eISBN 978-0-547-56224-7
v2.0514

For my husband, Fred,
who was a boy who loved to draw
B.B.
For Ed and Kelly, of course
O.D.

The Wests of Pennsylvania were a houseful.
First there were Mama and Papa.
Then came John and Thomas, Samuel and Joseph,
Rachel and Sarah. Then Hannah, Mary, and Elizabeth.
And then there was Benjamin.

Benjamin was number ten. He came along in 1738.
When he was born, the preacher said about him,
This boy will do great things someday.
But he never did say exactly how or when.
So everyone kept an eye on Benjamin,
waiting for the first signs of greatness.

C HAPTER O NE

When Benjamin was seven, a sign did show.
It happened one day while his married sister was visiting. Rachel had brought her new baby with her. She asked Benjamin to tend little Sally while she and Mama went for a walk.
Benjamin made a sour face, but Rachel told him, Shes asleep. All you have to do is rock the cradle and flap the flies away.

So Rachel and Mama went for their walk.
Benjamin rocked and flapped and wished mightily that he was doing something else.

To help pass the time, he studied his little nieces face.
He had never seen a new baby up so close.
How tiny her nose was! What long eyelashes she had!
And then, quite suddenly, Benjamin West became possessed of a powerful itch.
He wanted to draw a picture of that baby!

He knew hed have to be quick about it.
Mama and Rachel would be back any minute.
He looked around for something to draw with.
There was Papas goose quill on the desk.
But, hold on! No one but Papa was supposed to use that quill pen!
For a minute Benjamins hand stayed in the air.
Then he reached for the pen and dipped it in the inkwell.

After that Benjamin forgot all about Papas rules.
He forgot all about rocking and flapping.
He forgot about everything but drawing that picture.

The drawing was almost finished when the baby woke up.
She started to fuss. Benjamin rocked the cradle as hard as he could but little Sally cried louder and louder.

Now Benjamin heard voices in the garden.
Mama and Rachel were coming back! Benjamin left off rocking, dropped the quill back into the inkwell, and snatched up his drawing.

Just then Mama and Rachel rushed in. Rachel ran to the cradleto pick up the baby, but Mamas sharp eyes were on Benjamin.
Benjamin West! Whats that youre hiding behind your back?

Benjamin could feel his face getting hot.
He handed over the drawing.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldnt have to watch Mama looking at it.
Benjamin wished he could shut his ears, too.
He knew Mama was going to say, Foolishness!
And she was going to ask about the pen!

It was quiet in the room for a long time.
Then Mama said softly,
Rachel, looky here. Benjamin has made a picture of our little Sally.

Benjamin opened his eyes. His mama and Rachel were staring athis drawing, and they were both smiling!
I declare, it looks just like her, Rachel said.
She turned to Benjamin. How ever did you do that, child?
Benjamin shrugged and tried to look modest, like a proper Quaker boy. But inside, he was bursting with pride.
Mama and Rachel liked his drawing!

That night Mrs. West said to Mr. West,
Father, I do believe Benjamins drawing is a sign.
Mr. West said, You may be right, Mother. Time will tell.

C HAPTER T WO

From that day on, you never saw Benjamin West without a pen and notebook. While other boys were spending their spare time fishing or pitching horseshoes, Benjamin West was drawing pictures. Hed draw anything his eye lit onsquirrel or cow, house or tree.

A year went by. One day Benjamin was sitting by the river, drawing a robin. He began to have a feeling that eyes were watching him. What was back there in those woods? Bear? Wolf? Maybe it was Meesing, the ghost the Indians told about.

Benjamin turned around ever so slowly. He looked over his shoulder. In the shadows he could see three faces. Indians!
The hair prickled on the back of his neck.
Were they friendly Lenapes?
Or were they some of those fierce Shawnees from the west?

Benjamin sat still as a stone. After what seemed a long time, one Indian came out of the woods.

Benjamin shouted with relief, Gray Wolf!
Gray Wolf was a Lenape, and a friend. His wigwam was near the West house.
Gray Wolf and his family often came to sell Indian baskets to the guests at Papas inn.

Gray Wolf and Benjamin shook hands solemnly.
As if that was a signal, the other Indians stepped out of the woods.
They looked at Benjamins bird drawing.
They waved their arms around and talked excitedly in Lenape.
Meesh-ka, meesh-ka, they kept saying.
Whats meesh-ka? Benjamin asked Gray Wolf.
Gray Wolf pointed to the robins breast.
Meesh-ka means It is red. The bird should be red on the breast.
I know that, Benjamin said, trying not to sound peevish.
But I have no red paint.
Gray Wolf looked puzzled. Paint? Paint? Suddenly he said, Ah! Paint! You want paintyou come!