ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
THE ARTS
Rosenstock, Barb

Mornings with Monet

40 pp. | Knopf | March, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-525-70817-9 $17.99 | Library ISBN 978-0-525-70818-6 $20.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-525-70819-3 $10.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Grandpré. Rosenstock and GrandPré (The Noisy Paint Box, rev. 1/14; Vincent Can't Sleep, rev. 11/17; Through the Window, rev. 9/18) provide an impression of the artist over a single morning, as Claude Monet sets out on his studio barge to paint the river Seine as the sun rises. His process for creating the "Morning on the Seine" series is intriguing, fresh, and very particular. Rosenstock carefully describes his setting up each canvas alongside the next, painting quickly on each in turn as the sun rises and changes the light on the water. Through her ­illustrations of that one morning, from 3 a.m. until family breakfast a few hours later, GrandPré captures Monet's style, mimicking with acrylic paint and ink his brushstrokes and use of color so the viewer learns about the artist while getting a feel for the texture of the art itself; five images of Monet's work are appended. ­Rosenstock's text is engaging and well researched (although without specific endnotes, it is not entirely clear if she is extrapolating when she describes Monet's feelings: "He imagines [the sun's] warmth playing on the face of his wife Alice, still asleep"). Still, the solid list of sources and author's note provide context for ­Rosenstock's poetic language. The book works well both as an introduction to Monet and his work and as additional reading for a child who is already familiar with the Impressionist painter.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

RELATED 

THE ARTS

The People's Painter
by Levinson, Cynthia
THE ARTS

Before They Were Artists
by Haidle, Elizabeth
THE ARTS

Breaking Waves
by Burleigh, Robert
THE ARTS

Fearless World Traveler
by Lawlor, Laurie
THE ARTS

The History of Western Art in Comics
by Augustin, Marion
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?