Customer Reviews

Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail (Anholt's Artists)

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4 star:		(1)
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Let me say in the first sentence: "Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail" is a wonderful introduction to Picasso and his art. If more informational books for children were as creative and colorful as this one, children would stand in line at libraries and bookstores clutching their cards or money to take this kind of book home. It's that good!

Laurence Anholt, both author and illustrator, captures one summer in the life of Picasso in Vallauris in southern France in 1954. Picasso met young Sylvette, a shy teenager who had very secret aspirations to be an artist herself. He drew a delicate pencil sketch of her head and shoulders, featuring particularly her lovely ponytail. This was the first of about 40 works of art with Sylvette as subject.

Anholt's artwork is both light, colorful, and cheerful and casts Picasso in a most delightful manner. Although his house was cluttered with items he would later use as "found art," it shows so many different works of art Picasso had already created.

Finally, Sylvette tells Picasso her dreams. So he advises her. One night at the end of summer he completes a sculpture of Sylvette made of huge pottery pieces and adds a huge key in one hand as the key to all her secrets and a key to open a new door. He gives her a choice of any painting. She chooses the first one he did of her, later sells it, and buys an apartment on the top floor in a building overlooking all of Paris. That painting was her key.

I know I have told the ending, but in a biographical sketch, there are no secrets. Besides, the fun of this book is the joy in every illustration. Unlike some books which denigrate Picasso, this book celebrates him.

Although designed for children 9-12, this book will appeal to all ages as a delightful, one-stop foray into Picasso's famous and flamboyant life.

Such a cute story and educational. I read it to middle school students in my summer art class. They got a kick out of it. I will keep it forever to read to my own children one day!

We just came back from the Musee Picasso in Paris, and my kids had been looking for the boomarang that had been shown in his studio in this book, at the museum, because they were so curious as to what a boomarang was! We also looked for the artwork, too! This is one of my absolute favorites of all the OUTSTANDING Anholt artist books for children! The real photo of "the girl with the ponytail" and Picasso in the back of the book is awesome!

This is a beautifully written story about Picasso's muse. It's perfect for children who either do not know much about Picasso or want to learn more about him.

I'm an art teacher and got this to read in class before doing a Picasso portrait assignment with my second graders. The book is OK, but goes on a little too long. I found myself paraphrasing and skipping pages by the end.