From Publishers Weekly
Linnea, a fresh-faced European girl with a mop of black hair and a white smock, gives a solid lesson in art history in the gentlest way, through a first-person account. Her story is like a scrapbook, reliving a trip she took to Paris and Giverny to learn about Monet's water-lily paintings. Airy, light-filled watercolors showing Linnea in Monet's environment are juxtaposed with period photographs of the artist and reproductions of the paintings themselves. The focus is always on the specific. Monet's brushstrokes are examined (Linnea terms them "splotchy"). A section is devoted to expressionism: "Even stone walls could shimmer sometimes." Also included are Monet's biography, a family tree and a brief guide to Paris. But, it is the sense of being there, and Linnea's own enthusiasm, that carries the book. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6 An original and highly entertain ing child-centered book of art apprecia tion. Photographs introduce the home and family of the artist Monet, full-color reproductions of paintings are used to ex plain his work, and ink and watercolor il lustrations picture the delight that a young girl finds in learning about a fa mous artist. Linnea and her elderly friend Mr. Bloom travel to Paris, visit Monet's home in Giverny, picnic in the artist's garden, and admire the waterlilies and the Japanese bridge which he often paint ed. In Paris, the two companions stop at a museum to see Impressionist paintings, view the sunlight over the Seine, and chatter about the life and times of the art ist. The book ends with a page of infor mation about things to do and see in Par is. Linnea sparkles with the joy of discovery and charms readers. Monet's paintings delight the eye, and the bright conversation and happy adventures of the young girl and the old gentleman per suade readers that the world of art is rich in color and peopled with fascinating characters. Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, N.J.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
