Good Day, Mr. Gauguin

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9In Impressionists, the narrator is a boy who was touched by fairies in his cradle and given a great understanding of French art. He roams through the history of the Impressionist movement, explaining the steps in its development. The analysis of the paintings is well done and the reproductions are well chosen, but the names of French artists, locations, and schools of painting crowd the pages and are not likely to be familiar to the targeted age group. Renaissance attempts to introduce the period by following a boy named Raphael as he researches paintings by his namesake and other great artists. His knowledgeable parents offer hints and information on the development of perspective by showing him intriguing examples of its use. Their explanations and the choice of reproductions are excellent, but the book is complex and requires some background knowledge. Since the series' sometimes contrived fictional device works better with a single artist's life than with movements or schools of art, Gauguin is more effective than the other titles. It follows Julian as he discovers the story of the painter's life and travels, guided by a retired sea captain and further helped by a student of art history. The mix of paintings, encyclopedialike pages of information, and cartoons is sometimes jarring, but on the whole gives a liveliness and immediacy to the subject matter. These attractively produced books are nice ad art books.Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ