Skip to main content

Mornings with Monet

Image
By

By Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Mary GrandPré
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2021. Picture book biography.

One early morning in the French village of Giverny, the world-famous painter Claude Monet wakes up before the sun to paint. He takes a rowboat out to a flat-bottomed boat in the middle of the river, he unwraps his canvases, prepares his paints, and waits for light. As the sun rises over the river, Monet works quickly to catch the colors of the sky, clouds, river, and air. The light changes and he frantically switches canvases, skillfully capturing the impression of the moment.

Rosenstock and GrandPré are no strangers to art history biographies, having previously tackled Wassily Kandinsky, Vincent Van Gogh, and Marc Chagall, and their latest offering is especially effective. Mary GrandPré's acrylic illustrations are wonderfully evocative, managing to capture the style and feeling of a Monet masterpiece. Rosenstock's text matches the tone of the illustrations with sweeping language and touches of tongue-in-cheek humor. Mornings with Monet is a great introduction to one of art history's greatest masters and a lovely tribute. Monet fans new and old will inhale this book like a breath of fresh air. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Fresh Start

By
Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Will's Race for Home

By
  Willl's Race for Home  By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages.    Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable.  This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...
Post a Comment
Read more