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Chasing Degas

By curlyq
Chasing Degas
By Eva Montanari
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2009. Unpaged. Picture book.

A young dancer and the famous Impressionist painter, Monsieur Degas, accidentally switch satchels. The dancer races all over Paris to find Degas and exchange bags as she has his paints and he has her tutu that she needs for a performance that evening. During her journey, she crosses paths with many other famous artists--but where is Monsieur Degas?

This is a lovely, fun piece of historical fiction. Eva Montanari's illustrations are beautiful and really capture the feel of the Impressionist era, specifically Degas' work, while still maintaining her own unique illustration style. There are some really fun pictorial nods to well known paintings by some of the most famous Impressionist artists and there is even a guide at the end of the book, referencing the specific paintings that inspired some of the illustration spreads.
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Tom Bailey said…
Very interesting blog. You have some excellent reviews here.

Best regards
October 16, 2009 at 7:49 AM
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