A book that is very pleasing to the eye, especially to those of us who appreciate art! ( )

Every time I read a book by this author, I am transported to a magical place. In this story, the reader learns of the impact the mother of the artist Henri Matisse had on his life. Poor in money, but rich in spirit, love and creativity, Henri's mothers used bright colors which she painted on dishes that were then hung on the walls.

In addition, she hung bright read rugs on the walls and dirt floors of their house in Northern France. It was exceedingly cold in that part of France. His mother found a way to make the house cozy and warm.

As he grew and became an impressionist painter, his colors were those used by his mothers, bright yellow and blue of her tablecloth, lovely colored flowers and fruit that was placed on the table to augment the tablecloth.

The people in the area of Northern France were silk weavers, and here too Henri was influenced by the colors of the fabrics. When a young boy, Henri raised pigeons and noticed the multicolored, iridescent colors of their feathers when the sun shone on them. He watched their sharp eyes and red feet.

Henri grew to be a painter who used lush, bright red colors and he also painted red rooms, flowers with long green stems, and fruit on a bowl on a bright tablecloth, again another way in which his mother's beauty impacted on him throughout his life.

Four Stars

My 5 year old is enamored with the loveliness of this book: the rhythm of the words, the interesting character and the bright, colorful prints. ( )

I checked out a bunch of picture books on Henri Matisse from the library and I did not care for this one as much. The text is very simple, but written with long compound sentences going across multiple pages.

Content considerations:

One spread includes abstract nude figures dancing. ( )

"If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town in northern France where the skies were gray..." and you wanted color and light and sun, and your mother painted plates to brighten things up, and taught you to see and use beauty and color - in pigeons' wings, for example - then "Would it be a surprise that you grew up to be a fine painter who painted light and movement and the iridescence of birds?"

Interesting to read aloud, as the whole thing is one or two long sentences starting with "If..." and "Would..." Loose, bright (but not neon) illustrations were created with "a combination of relief printing and digital techniques." ( )