(4) K-3 Translated by Agathe Joly. Illustrated by Vanessa Hié. In this origin story for Matisse's collage The Parakeet and the Mermaid, a mermaid stranded in a tree is saved by a parakeet cum human-bird-hybrid prince. The storytelling is rather sentimental, but Hié's cutouts (reworked with pencil and painting), while less abstract, capably echo Matisse's vibrant palette. A reproduction of the source painting and contextual and biographical information are appended.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Vanessa Hié. The Kingdom of Mirador lives in fear of a beast, encouraged by King Minus's propaganda: "one day it will come and devour your children." Three mysterious musicians arrive and help the villagers trade trepidation for fun. The storytelling is too abstract, though Hié's Picasso-inspired illustrations are appropriately so. A reproduction of the titular source painting and contextual and biographical information are appended.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Élise Mansot. A wintry tale of a kindly peasant (Bird); a young ballerina transported to nineteenth-century Paris (Ballerina); the legend behind a Japanese celebration (Wave); a mailman on a dreamy voyage finding love (Journey). Four attractive oversize picture books inspired by works of Bruegel, Degas, Hokusai, and Chagall contain homage-paying illustrations, a reproduction of the influential masterpiece, and artist biographical information in question-and-answer format. Review covers these titles: A Bird in Winter, Little Ballerina, The Great Wave, and Journey on a Cloud.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bruno Pilorget. A wintry tale of a kindly peasant (Bird); a young ballerina transported to nineteenth-century Paris (Ballerina); the legend behind a Japanese celebration (Wave); a mailman on a dreamy voyage finding love (Journey). Four attractive oversize picture books inspired by works of Bruegel, Degas, Hokusai, and Chagall contain homage-paying illustrations, a reproduction of the influential masterpiece, and artist biographical information in question-and-answer format. Review covers these titles: A Bird in Winter, Little Ballerina, The Great Wave, and Journey on a Cloud.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen