An earnest but uneven account of an artist whose talent blossomed like his beloved sunflowers.
Weary of city life, Vincent van Gogh retreats to the country to paint vibrant images of nature while waiting for fellow artist Paul Gauguin to join him.
“Refined” Paris regards Van Gogh’s cherished sunflower paintings as “inelegant.” After meeting Gauguin, an artist who’s equally committed to vivid hues and floral motifs, Van Gogh departs for the famed “yellow house,” where he’s inspired to paint “brighter and more colorful” art. He waits for Gauguin’s eventual arrival; the book culminates in a lush image of the two friends trekking through a golden Van Gogh–esque wheat field. The narrative contains enough information, explanation, and artistic examples to serve as a satisfying introduction to the painter for younger readers, but, as Marwan makes clear in an affectionate author’s note, the heart of the book is Van Gogh’s waiting and preparing for Gauguin’s arrival. Readers may not be as invested. The relationship between the artists feels underdeveloped, which weakens the anticipation, and the many pages devoted to waiting drag. Within the short, sincere narrative, poignant paragraphs describe colorful canvases. Yet some generic lines of text feel like filler. Marwan’s illustrations, rendered in watercolor, ink, pen, and pencil, are also unbalanced. An image of the two artists ensconced in a color wheel is brilliantly designed, as are bold, sumptuous sunflower homages. Other spreads feel curiously washed out and insubstantial.
An earnest but uneven account of an artist whose talent blossomed like his beloved sunflowers. (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781250859631
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project.
The Celebrate the World series spotlights Lunar New Year.
This board book blends expository text and first-person-plural narrative, introducing readers to the holiday. Chau’s distinctive, finely textured watercolor paintings add depth, transitioning smoothly from a grand cityscape to the dining room table, from fantasies of the past to dumplings of the present. The text attempts to provide a broad look at the subject, including other names for the celebration, related cosmology, and historical background, as well as a more-personal discussion of traditions and practices. Yet it’s never clear who the narrator is—while the narrative indicates the existence of some consistent, monolithic group who participates in specific rituals of celebration (“Before the new year celebrations begin, we clean our homes—and ourselves!”), the illustrations depict different people in every image. Indeed, observances of Lunar New Year are as diverse as the people who celebrate it, which neither the text nor the images—all of the people appear to be Asian—fully acknowledges. Also unclear is the book’s intended audience. With large blocks of explication on every spread, it is entirely unappealing for the board-book set, and the format may make it equally unattractive to an older, more appropriate audience. Still, readers may appreciate seeing an important celebration warmly and vibrantly portrayed.
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project. (Board book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3303-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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