Mario's Angels: A Story About the Artist Giotto [Hardcover]

Mary Arrigan (Author), Gillian McClure (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

As he watches Mr. Giotto decorate the walls and ceiling of a chapel with beautiful frescoes, little Mario longs to help, but Giotto always says no. When Father Prior inspects the work, he frowns and tells Giotto the sky is too dark. Try as he might, Giotto can’t lighten the fresco. Later that night, as he watches his baby sister, Mario dreams up a wonderful plan to brighten the frescoes — if only Mr. Giotto will listen! This appealing, informative story, enhanced by Gillian McClure's delightful illustrations, brings Giotto's work, and his world, to life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–A fictionalized introduction to the Father of European Painting. Mario, an exuberant boy, visits the artist as he works on his fresco Nativity in Padua. He asks many questions and eagerly volunteers assistance. Although Giotto declines his offers of help, he patiently explains his work and style. When the artist is at a loss about how to fill the sky, Mario suggests angels. Not only does Giotto take his suggestion, but he also uses the energetic child as his model. The gentle text is matched by light, airy colors and feathery movement in the art. The cherubic Mario is full of life and will seem very real to readers. Children will probably not understand the factual information, but they will appreciate the story. This is a good addition for libraries that circulate other art stories such as Laurence Anholt's Degas and the Little Dancer (1996) and Camille and the Sunflowers (1994, both Barron's). Endnotes about the artist and frescoes are appended.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Young Mario wants to help the painter Giotto, and since the artist paints such realistic figures, Mario thinks he would like to pose. When a monk tells Giotto that something is missing from the sky in a picture the artist is working on, Giotto becomes upset. Mario has plenty of ideas about what to add--sunrise, clouds, rain--but Giotto rejects them all. Later, when Mario watches his father pick up baby Bianca, the family's little angel child, Mario gets the best idea of all--angels. Giotto is thrilled, and since he needs a model, who else but Mario? The watercolor artwork, cheery and child-friendly throughout, becomes more sophisticated in the representations of Giotto's pictures. Enhanced by appended information about frescoes, this makes a solid introduction to Giotto, his art, and beyond, but the nicest thing about it is that it's a good story, too. For other picture-book biographies of artists, see "Core Collection: Short Takes on Creative Minds" on p.64. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books; 1 edition (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845074041
• ISBN-13: 978-1845074043
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Fun Book That Introduces a Famous Painter, September 8, 2010

By 

BookwormBabiak - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mario's Angels: A Story About the Artist Giotto (Hardcover)

Our family really loved this book. It is a great introduction to Giotto for the little ones in a very captivating style. My older children really enjoyed it as well and were inspired by it. They all immediately went to work painting their own mural of a nativity with angels. Great book. I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars My 18 Month Old Son Loves This Book, November 20, 2009

By 

Amadeus (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mario's Angels: A Story About the Artist Giotto (Hardcover)

Mario's Angels is a short, well-illustrated story about the artist Giotto. For those who don't know, Giotto was a 14th century Tuscan painter widely considered to be the first "renaissance" painter. In the story, Mario (a young boy) enjoys watching the master at work. When Giotto unveils his painting to Father Prior the churchman complains about the sky being "too dull". It's young Mario who helps Giotto fix the sky and make a masterpiece. Of course, this is all a fiction, but makes for a great way of introducing art to a youngster. My 18 month old son loves this book and asks for "Giotto" at bedtime. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!