James Mayhew

Katie and her grandmother decide to visit the art museum for Grandma's birthday. While there, Katie desires to pick the flowers she sees in a painting so that she can have a gift for Grandma's birthday. She finds that she can climb in and out of different paintings, having various adventures as she tries to find the perfect bouquet of flowers for Grandma.

I had previously read two other titles in the Katie series by James Mayhew, and I like this one best of all. (I also believe it's the first show more in the series, although you don't need to read them in any order to understand them.) One of the things I appreciated a lot about this book is the interaction in the beginning between Katie and her grandmother in which the latter explains the concept of the Impressionistic style to Katie. It's not preachy, didactic, or full of jargon, but it helps young reader to understand something about art. The book later introduces words like palettes, canvases, and portraits, which an older child may use context clues to decode or an adult could define for a younger reader. As with other titles in the series, this book ends with a brief one-page note providing more information about Impressionism as well as the specific artists and paintings featured in the story.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the joyful interactions between Katie and Jean, the young boy she sees in one painting. Jean is the son of famous Impressionist painter Claude Monet, and his introduction in to the book not only provides a peer companion for Katie but also gives children an understanding that a painter is a person just like them with a family and a life outside of their canvases, rather than leaving the young readers with some broad and vague idea of a shadowy figure cloistered away somewhere doing nothing but painting all day long.

As Edgar Degas is one of my favorite artists, I of course loved the addition of one of his dancers paintings into the book. This also flowed well with the story and all of Katie's grand adventures at the museum. It was fun to see Katie interacting with two paintings in quick succession seemingly within a single frame, as many of the Impressionistic painters did travel in the same circles and paint similar scenes, each with their own unique flair.

The illustrations in this book, as with the other titles in the series, are absolutely excellent. The actual paintings are replicated wonderfully and then those backdrops and figures are added to appropriately with the new characters and scenarios imagined by the author.

All in all, I definitely recommend this title, especially if you are interested in fine art and want to introduce a bit of art history to the children in your life. But even if you or your child are not particularly interested in art, this is still a fun and fantastical romp featuring a little girl ready to explore and engage in many adventures. show less

Published in the UK as Where's My Cuddle?, this endearing picture-book from author James Mayhew and illustrator Sue Hellard follows the story of Jake, a young boy who refuses his mother's hug in the morning, and then decides he wants it after all, following a rather trying day. Unfortunately, Mom has given his hug to Dad, Dad has given it to the Cat, the Cat has given it to a Witch, and so on. Following the trail of his hug, Jake eventually reaches home again, where he discovers that there show more are always more hugs to be given and received.

I enjoyed Where's My Hug?, although I did wonder a bit at the change in title - we cuddle here in the states too! - and wished that the publishers had not felt it to be necessary. The tale itself is engaging and creative, and the illustrations are adorable! I particularly liked the slyly humorous expression on the cat's face, peering up at Jake from the basket of laundry! Ah, kitties... Recommended to young children who sometimes feel a little prickly, or embarrassed by their parents' affection. show less

Katie and her grandmother are trying to make a princess dress for Katie's upcoming birthday and decide to go to the art museum to look at paintings of old-fashioned princesses. While there, Katie sees a beautiful princess in a painting and climbs into the scene, where she and the princess decide to play dress-up by swapping outfits. Katie discovers being a princess isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be, especially when she and the real princess end up on an adventure chasing a bird show more throughout the gallery and in and out of several paintings by other 17th and 18th century Spanish artists.

Having read several of James Mayhew's "Katie" series now, I went into this book with a basic understanding of how it would operate and the rules of Katie's world. As in the past, I appreciated the combination of child-like adventure and art history, allowing kids to learn about art in a fun way from their comfort of their own home. With this title, there was a certain je ne sais quoi that made it even more enjoyable than some of his other "Katie" books. In particular, I liked how it played with the girlie girl culture of princess everything and ended up turning that on its head a bit.

As usual, the illustrations in this book were fabulous. Mayhew does an excellent job of creating his own style while also managing to re-create famous masterpieces in a way that meshes well with Katie and her world. The book ends with a note providing some details on the painters and paintings featured in this book for children and/or parents who are interested in learning more about the art works. show less

Ella Bella once again finds herself transported into the magical world of a famous ballet in this installment of British author/artist James Mayhew's picture-book series devoted to her adventures. When she stays after class at Madame Rosa's ballet school, listening the music from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, she suddenly finds herself approached by Puck, and enlisted by that mischievous creature in the effort to win the fairy Queen Titania's love back for King Oberon...

There are show more six titles altogether, in this series, but although Ella Bella Ballerina and A Midsummer Night's Dream is the fifth, it is the last one which I have read. Like the others, I found it charming, containing a happy blend of magical ballet-related story and appealing watercolor illustrations. I was struck, as I have been with all the others, by the fact that Ella Bella and her fellow pupils never seem to actually have lessons - they are simply allowed to dress up and flit about to the music of Madame Rosa's music box. Given that this is so, I don't think these are the best stories, if one is looking for books that describe what young ballet dancers actually do. The books about Tallulah (Tallulah's Tutu and sequels) are better, in that respect. What the Ella Bella Ballerina books are good for, is exploring the stories behind the world's famous ballets, and I think the series could be paired very nicely with others, such as the Tallulah one. Recommended to young ballet-lovers, and to anyone looking for picture-books featuring the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream. show less