From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-These French imports are similar in format to Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson's Linnea in Monet's Garden (Farrar, 1987), in that, in each title, an adult introduces a child to fine art. While they lack the bright endpapers, full-page illustrations, and profusion of reproductions of that book, the stories proceed at a measured paced and the paintings that do appear are well reproduced. A young boy learns about the imaginative, surrealistic paintings of Chagall from a violinist who grew up in the painter's home city of Vitebsk, Russia. Degas is the subject of a series of workshops for children at the Orsay Museum in Paris. His works are explained by the teacher, and the story is narrated by one of the students. In Van Gogh, a brother and sister discover an old painting in their uncle's attic that is similar in style to Van Gogh's early efforts. They visit nearby museums in Amsterdam and in Otterloo Park, tracing the artist's fascination with sunlight and admiring the brilliant yellows of his later and most famous works. The tragedy of his madness and death is gently told amid excellent descriptions of the paintings he made in southern France. In each volume, the emphasis is on the subject's artistic vision, but the tone is conversational and the text is clear and engaging. The storytelling quality of these series entries invites readers to enjoy the lessons in art history.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
