Customer Reviews

Mary Cassatt (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

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"... she seemed to understand the love between mothers and their babies better than any other artist", p. 26.

The young reader will learn about Cassatt's early years in Pennsylvania, her family moving to France for two years when she was 7, her years at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and her moving to France at the age of 22 to learn more about art.

Cassatt's paintings have a current day presence to them. Regardless of how far we as a society progress, most children will be lovingly cared for by their parents. She captured the mothers and fathers in a relaxed state with their children going about their every day activities. Children will readily relate to the paintings given their own very recent experiences. The young are very sensitive to feelings. The warmth expressed in the paintings will easily be absorbed by their delicate nature. They will come away from the book with a warm tummy feeling.

My favorite painting in the book is Cassatt's "Little Girl in a Blue Armchair," painted in 1878. It remains contemporary. It could be any one of my nieces or even myself. When I was young, my mother used to make me dress up for family functions to which I agreed if I could bring my play clothes with me. This picture reminds me of what I must have looked like until I could change into my play clothes.

Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His re-enactment of why Mary joined the impressionist group pokes fun at the upheaval they caused.

The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.

This is the 6th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "Working on Mary Cassatt inspired Mike to paint his own family's portraits, capturing ...".

The price of the book is well worth paying. The book contains the following: Cassatt's paintings (17) and print (1), Venezia's illustrations - 7, Others' paintings - 4.

Mary Cassatt was a true master when painting mothers and their children. Mike Venezia's book captures her life and work beautifully. This series on artists is so educational, I have bought the entire series for my brother's children. I first saw them in the gift shop of the Virginia Museum and have enjoyed them ever since.

I was worried that this book, and the accompanying video by the same name, would be too silly or trivial, but I actually enjoyed their presentation very much. The book uses the third person, while the DVD uses the first person. There are a few other details in the DVD; the book is a bit more succinct, and the images seem smaller (but the DVD provides a nice zoom on one picture that the book does not).

They're both a bit cartoony in places, but this book was an enjoyable way to help cement the identity of this artist in my kids' minds (they're 3.5 and 6.5). I also enjoyed its treatment of the relationships among the Impressionists, particularly between Cassatt and Degas; it includes small (perhaps too small) samples of several other artists' work. (the video covers this at greater length)

This book has been a pleasant intro to art history for them, and for me as their homeschooling mama. Considering I have no art background to speak of, this book and DVD have been fun, helpful and educational for ALL of us!

This series by Mike Venezia is BRILLIANT!! I love the way he writes - so easy to read. He includes pertinent information, lots of the artist's drawings, and cartoons that make the material fun. The books are read alones for 3rd grade+ but my 4 year old enjoys heraing me read these books. What a fantastic way to introduce artists to young kids when they are still so interested and unbiased! I as an adult learned things too. We own various from this wonderful series!!