Vincent Paints His House

Vincent's efforts to paint his house are complicated by all the little creatures who share it with him - the spider, the caterpillar, the beetle, the bird, the butterfly, the snake, the mouse, and the bat - and their demands that he choose the various colors that they prefer. In the end, he incorporates all of their suggestions, painting a house that is truly his...

A sweet little picture-book tribute to the artist Vincent Van Gogh, and his bold use of swirling color - the final scene shows a sky that looks very much like the one in the painting The Starry Night - Vincent Paints His House pairs colorful, cartoon-like illustrations with a fun, repetitive text. I particularly liked that Vincent's reaction to each color suggested is show more positive, and that a variety of shades within each color are represented in palette he uses. Recommended to young artists and art-lovers. show less

Arnold is not my favorite artist, and I don't like using historical figures as props, but this works well enough and has a fun theme. I have a feeling there will be some children who will love this so much they memorize it, children who like color and energy.

This book transports us to Vincent's house on the day he decides to paint it. This book pays homage to the artist himself, Vincent van Gogh. As Vincent begins painting his house he encounters various animals who also live on his house that have differing opinions as to which color to paint it. Not only are all the colors of the rainbow mentioned as options, but we also learn through the process different names for different colors. If you are interested in art and painting this is a great introduction for all young readers! Learning the different names for colors is fun, along with seeing how Vincent's house turns out in the end. Be sure to read all the way to the end of the book to get a fun view of one of Vincent's most famous show more paintings "Starry Night." I definitely recommend this book!

Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library
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Arnold, T. (2015). Vincent Paints his House. New York: Holiday House.

Vincent is a painter, deciding what color he should paint the exterior of his house. Each time he raises his brush to begin a different small creature stops him, asserting that the house is theirs and that they like a certain color. Each time Vincent agrees that the creature’s color of choice is, indeed, nice (we then see several shades of that color named on Vincent’s paint palette), but before he can begin the chosen color, the next creature interrupts him. This happens until we have exhausted all color options and Vincent asserts that the house is actually his, and that he likes all the colors together. We see his house spattered with all the colors mentioned, show more and the night’s sky has become Van Gogh’s Starry, Starry Night. He was Vincent Van Gogh! This book is suitable for children ages 2-6 years. show less