Customer Reviews

Marguerite Makes a Book (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Both the story and illustrations in this book are wonderful. The story explains how books were illuminated. A fold out section explains how the different color paints were created. The story may be a little long for beginning listeners in a read aloud situation. The book has a glossary of technical terms that expands on the meaning given in the text. Inspired by a group of Parisian Manuscripts in the Getty Museum.

Marguerite's father Jacques is the most famous manuscript illuminator in Paris, when he is injured and cannot finish the book he is working on, Marguerite sets out to do it for him. We see Marguerite travelling round Paris buying the things she needs to complete the book, then we see her preparing the pages, mixing the paints, and completing the picture her father was working on. The story is accompanied by beautiful illustrations showing life in medieval Paris and details of illuminated manuscripts. This charming book is an ideal intoduction to the middle ages for children (especially girls) showing that there was more to the period than knights in armour and plague. A lovely and unusual book.

Wow, this book has the most beautiful illustrations I have seen in a long time! My daughter and I just love the story and the fold out pages! We have been inspired to do more digging into this topic. I am going to share this book with my Grade 2 and 3 art students. A definite must for little artists.

I think the best way to review this book is to describe my 4 ½ yr olds response to it. We read it aloud twice and then she was ready to role-play the character in the book who's learning to be an 'illuminator' of manuscripts from her father in the 1400's in Paris, France (my daughter loves role playing).

So this morning we dressed in our best approximation of 1400's French medieval dress (think handkerchief on head, wool shawl, cloth nappy tied as apron). We collected parsley from the garden and soot from the chimney to make our paints, just like Marguerite. We also used tea, beetroot and calendula. After preparing with the mortar and pestle these were strained then mixed with beaten egg white.
We used scissors to sharpen feathers into quills after a try with a knife wasn't very successful. We used some oyster shells from our shell collection and voila! My daughter was able to role play being an illuminator in medieval France!

She spent the rest of the morning `illuminating' with amazing concentration and when it was time to go to an appointment she wanted to `stay in role'. So we did. There was a man paying who was obviously intrigued by our get up - let's face it, I had a handkerchief on my head and was wearing a long green velvet dress! Turns out he spoke French, had been to Paris, and knew some history - spoke to us in French (ouch!) - tres bon!
A book that captures our interest and imagination like this is definitely a star in our eyes. I so wish there were more books like this! My daughter says regarding Marguerite: `She did interesting things - like making the paint' and `her clothes were different and olden day'.

Highly recommended especially for children interested in art, history, book making, architecture, fashion, social classes, France, technology and especially girls for the strong female lead. Age - very wide - I've found this book listed under `Sophisticated Picture Books 8-12 yrs'- I think our experience show's how much younger ages can find intense interest in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
If you're really keen, email the publisher like I did to say: WE Loved This Book - Please Do More ! I'm sure Getty Museum would love to hear this from you!

The illustrations are beautiful, and the historical information about illuminations was wonderful. We enjoyed reading it, and it inspired my 5 year old to make her own fancy lettering with drawings and illumination (gold glitter!).

I have always been fascinated by illuminated books so this book immediately caught my attention when shopping for nieces and nephews. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is sweet. It would be nice though if once a young lady could render assistance by being invited instead of having her father injure himself first! The center fold on how to make paints is a little unusual. Read the two opposing pages first, then open. Lovely book for children and their parents.

600 years ago, Lady Isabelle of Paris ordered a book from Papa Jacques, a famous book maker and he has only three days left to finish it. However, Jaqueses' eyeglasses is broken. So Jaqueses' daughter, Marguerite finished the book for him. Margurite went to Master Raymond's house for gold leafs, a farm for parchment, the market for eggs, goose feathers,parsley, and a pot of honey, and finally the apothcary for dried saffron flowers, madder roots, a cake of vermilion, some wax, pine pitch, and some lapis lazuli stone. At her house, Marguerite prepared he pens and paint. Then Marguerite started to paint. On one page, which was decorated with Lady Isabelle's favorite daises Marguerite colored Lady Isabelle's robe and hair. When Isebelle came to check on the book, she was very impressed.

BEAUTIFULLY illustrated. A great way for children or anyone else to learn about medieval illumination. There is even a fold-out page telling how to make four different colors of paint, and how to apply gold leaf to "illuminate" a book. The visuals are gorgeous. Children's picture books make great research books because they tend to "show" as well as "tell". Wish I'd read this before I'd written Illuminations of the Heart. One of Siri and Triston's children might have to grow up to be an illuminator, so I can use some of the information in this book!

This is aimed at older children, but I found it so charming and interesting that I bought it anyway. My daughter, almost 4 years old, asked to have it read to her, sat through it all the first time, and has requested repeat readings over the 5 months we've had it. By now, she's learned parts of the story and I'm eagerly awaiting the day when she asks to make paint the way Marguerite does. She likes to find the cat or cats on every page and sees lots of details about medieval life while looking. When she began to color the backgrounds behind her emerging drawings of stick people, cats and flowers, I'm pretty sure this book partly gave her the idea, because we read it a lot that week. A good read-aloud earlier than expected, although it falls into the category of "special treat" for a bedtime book because it takes 20 minutes! Fun new vocabulary words, too--the villain of the piece is "the loathsome Andre."

The book is a bit stilted in places and the storyline didn't flow a few times. I don't think children would notice. It was the author's first book. I LOVE the descriptions of what she bought and then how she used the items to make paint. The book is set in the 1400's.

The illustrations are beautiful.