Mr. Gauguins's Heart by Marie-Danielle Croteau

In this story, a young boy travels with his family to Peru. Although he enjoys the journey, tragedy strikes when his father passes away. While the rest of his family grieves, the boy, Paul, is unable to understand the situation but still feels the sadness. He discovers his own way to cope with the loss of his father and to find hope.

Mr. Gauguin's Heart is supposedly based on the life of young Paul Gauguin, a world-famous impressionist painter. I found the text to be a little strange but also touching. Aside from the text, the illustrations are what truly make this book shine. They are strikingly original, blending crisp graphic shapes and painterly details, making a this a beautiful book.

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Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

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