From Publishers Weekly
Young Pierre finds that weekends in the country outside Paris are a little too dull for his liking. There are no children to play with, and his parents sit "still as stone." But a visit next door soon changes all that, because Pierre is lucky enough to have as neighbors surrealist artist Rene Magritte and his wife, Georgette. On this particular day the Magrittes' friend Salvador Dali is invited to dinner, and an exciting affair it is-flying fish soup and partridge pie (the fish really leap and the birds still fly!). And before dinner, Pierre finds himself occupied with a croquet game (with a limp mallet) and a dash through the rain (cats and dogs tumble from the sky). Garland's droll text ("Did you dilly, Dali?") is complemented by Magritte-style oil paintings filled, appropriately, with surrealist images: Magritte's bowler hats, Dali's melted clocks, etc. A useful note sets Magritte and Dali (and Garland) in context. Paying tribute to the magic of surrealist art and to the ever-active imagination, this work is eerie, fun and inspiring. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?Pierre, a curious French youngster, relieves the boredom of a weekend in the country with his stodgy parents by visiting the couple next door, Rene and Georgette Magritte. And guess who happens to drop in for dinner? Salvador Dali. The text is brief and without character. In keeping with the spirit of surrealism, the events of the day are mundane?a walk in the woods, a croquet game, charades, etc.?while the way the happenings are depicted is anything but ordinary. The full-page oil paintings that tell the visual tale are based on the work of the 20th-century Belgian artist who sets the tone when he tells his young friend, "Anyone can try to paint what they see. I like to paint what I think. I paint what I dream." Thus, the fun is in searching out and puzzling over the odd bits or laughing at the literal representation of "it started to rain cats and dogs." The illustrations are true to the spirit of the originals and are a soft-sell approach to art appreciation.?Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
