Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse - Hardcover

Blain Parker, Marjorie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803737580 ISBN 13: 9780803737587

Publisher: Dial Books, 2012

Synopsis

An inspiring portrait of one of the world's most loved artists

There was once a boy named Henri, whose dreams were full of color even though his hometown was dreary and gray. His parents expected him to learn a trade when he grew up, but being a law clerk bored him, and he continued to dream of a colorful, exciting life, and of being noticed. Then Henri started painting . . . and kept painting and dreaming and working at his craft until he'd become one of the most admired and famous artists in the world.

This lyrical, visually rich picture book is more than an excellent biography; at its core, this remarkable book is an encouragement to never give up on your dreams.

About this title

About the Author

Marjorie Blain Parker lives in Denver, Colorado.

Holly Berry lives in Waldoboro, Maine.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* This inspiring picture book about the life of Henri Matisse weaves back and forth between Henri’s dreary reality—rendered in pencil shades of black, white, and gray—and the vivid world of his imagination, depicted in gorgeous full-color pencil, paint, and collage. Much to Henri’s parents’ dismay, their son does not excel at school, working in the family store, or the violin; instead, he is a dreamer. During his blah stint as a young lawyer, Henri starts to suffer stomach pains and ends up in the hospital, where he has plenty of time and nothing to do. But a set of paints changes all that: he picked up the paintbrush and was transported into paradise. From here, the book really sings as we’re treated to Henri’s vivid inner life made real on canvas. Parker’s lyrical text is accessible to young children and offers a rich look at the artist’s life, but it’s Berry’s art that wows. She manages to capture the vibrancy and rich saturation of Matisse’s original paintings and then changes styles to reflect his later-in-life colored-paper cutouts, which he referred to as drawing with scissors. An endnote fills in details about Matisse’s life. A great introduction to the renowned artist and a validation of dreamers everywhere. Grades K-3. --Ann Kelley

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0803737580
• ISBN 13: 9780803737587
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Berry Holly