When Pigasso Met Mootisse

Pigasso the porcine painter meets Mootise the bovine master in this punny picture-book introduction to two famous artists, and sparks fly. As each character seeks to escape his growing fame by moving to the country, they find themselves next-door neighbors. But when they each criticize the other's artwork, tempers flare, and soon they've built a wall to separate them. In the end however, there is more that unites than divides them, and they turn the wall itself into art...

I first encountered Nina Laden's work through her two poetic picture-books, If I Had a Little Dream and Yellow Kayak, which were both illustrated by Melissa Castrillón. When Pigasso Met Mootisse is the first book of Laden's that I have picked up that contains her own show more artwork, and it is in a very different style than those other two titles. Done in gouache, the bright and bold illustrations here are well-suited to a story about Picasso and Matisse, and I appreciated the way that they playfully mirrored the styles of those two artists. I don't think this makes the best introduction to either, despite the author's afterword giving more information about them, as more enjoyment can be derived from the reading, if one is already familiar with Picasso and Matisse. That said, this was still a fun art-related picture-book romp, one I would recommend to young art lovers, perhaps in conjunction with a more factual books about either Picasso or Matisse. show less

I absolutely love this book! Not only did Nina Laden turn Picasso into a porcine painter and Matisse into a bovine boffin, but the illustrations for each character are rendered in their own art style... the story is based on their real life friendship and eventual falling out.... It's "punny"....and the final pages include detailed information about each virtuoso.... whats not to love? This is an entertaining and fun way to teach children about these two defining pioneer artists.

I liked this book for a couple reasons. First, I liked the plot of the book. It was very organized and well paced, constantly having suspense in regards to what was going to happen next between Piagasso and Mootisse. Second, I liked the language and writing of the book. Each page had such description, I sometimes got lost imagining the story in my head( in a good way). It was written very clearly and flowed very nicely.The language was appropriate for the book and was quite comical, like when saying Mootisse was "Bull Headed" or Pigasso was"Pig Headed". But importantly it was engaging due to the fact it was a spin off of two prestigious artists of the twentieth century. Through the story of a pig and a bull you learn about these two show more artists and how they came to know each other and be friends. Another reason why I liked this book was because of the illustrations. The illustrations help to tell the story in a way the words can not. The illustrations in this book were abstract and surreal similar to those of the artists themselves. Overall this book is a cute and fun read that anyone would enjoy. There is also an underlying message of friendship. Pigasso and Mootisse are prestigious artists in their respected villages but want to get away from all the nose and just paint. They end up moving across the street from each other and becoming friends, but friends they did not remain for long. Shortly after a wall was built in the middle of the street, seperating them. Yet, it didn't take long for the two to realize they missed one another but they did not know how to say sorry with words. So they painted and let the picture do the talking. This is a positive message to show children because even if you and a friend get into a fight and say things you don't mean, there is always a way to fix it, all you have to do is express yourself in the way you know how to. In Pigasso and Mootisse it was through their paintings, for me it would be my words, but that was so special, it's different for everyone. Its a good lesson for children to learn that it's never to late to try and fix something. show less

"When Pigasso met Mootisee" was a very enjoyable book. The main idea of this book was to inform readers about the story of Picasso and Matisse. This book provided children the history of how the two famous artists became well known and friends. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book was how the author took a concept and made it relatable to kids by using animals such as pigs and cows. If the story would have been the real Picasso it might not have been so enjoyable for them. Another reason I enjoyed the book was because of the bright, vibrant illustrations. This made it very appealing to the eye. The illustrations included pictures detailed with bright yellow, pink, and green. It also really showcased how Picasso's art was. Lastly, I show more enjoyed how it also touched on the idea of friendship. In the story, Pigasso and Mootisee get into a fight. They overcome there fight and appreciate one another. This is a great model for children and can lead to a great literature discussion. show less

I love this "Moosterpiece" of a work by Nina Laden, and I would so enjoy using with children who have been introduced to Picasso and Matisse in an art history unit. I would want the kids to create their own works in the style of either "Pigcasso" or "Mootise", and share with the class about what makes each piece Pigcassian or Mootisian. While the book paints a very friendly version of Picasso and Matisse's rivalry, I'm not entirely sure how accurately it represents the relationship. Still, I enjoyed it!

I'm going to dump this url here so that I can come back to it later:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2009/mar/19/stravinsky-picasso-p...

The above compares Picasso's relationship with Matisse to Stravinsky's relationship show more with Schoenberg. show less

I liked this book a lot for a number of reasons. First, the illustrations were phenomenal and really mimicked the type of art that the real Picasso and Matisse painted. The language of the text was very entertaining and fun. I particularly really liked all the puns the authors used, like when Pigasso called Mootisse a "mad cow" and when the narrator referred to Pigasso as "pig-headed." When the two meet and become friends, what starts as one piece of criticism about different art techniques, turns into an argument ultimately divides them. When Pigasso and Mootisse put a fence in between their houses they realize after a while they miss each other's company and decide to be friends again. This book offers the message to young readers show more that just because your opinions or views differ from someone else's, it doesn't mean that you can't be friends. While Pigasso and Mootisse paint using different styles and techniques, they realize that they are both very talented artists and that is what brings them back together. show less

This is an excellent fantasy book. It has humor and ties in actual aspects of both the lives of Picasso and Matisse, by incorporating them into farm animals. The characters in this book are nicely rounded and develop throughout this story. This is done by having the animals dislike one another, but after they began to really look at each other's art they realize that they aren't that bad. They just paint in different styles. This book could also be used at a variety of different grade classrooms.