It's been thirty years since Laurence Anholt began his beloved series about great artists and the real children who knew them. Since then, these classic tales of Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and many other geniuses of Western art have provided a springboard into a lifetime's love of art, selling millions of copies around the world.
The stories have been adapted in many forms including ballet, opera, Braille editions for blind and partially sighted children, and a full-scale stage musical in Korea.
Perhaps it is Anholt's gentle storytelling or his handcrafted illustrations. Perhaps it is his love for children and passion for his subject. One way or another, a whole generation of readers have found a lifelong love of art through his stories. And now they are passing that precious gift to their own children. The gift of art is golden.
Alongside Anholt's dazzling watercolor illustrations, this anniversary edition includes dozens of high-quality reproductions of the artists' work, child-friendly biographies of the artists, and interactive questions for young readers. Each story is closely based on historical events and extensive research. In many cases, Anholt visited the artists' homes and studios, walking in their footsteps and interviewing their relatives. He was granted private access to Monet's house in Giverny and became close friends with Sylvette David (now Lydia Corbett), Picasso's famous Girl with a Ponytail.
In order to make the artists and their worlds accessible to young readers, Anholt employs a unique device in which the events are seen through the eyes of a child protagonist who actually knew the artist. In this way, readers are able to "piggyback" through the story, and artists who might otherwise be inaccessible become humanized. On a subconscious level, the reader absorbs many inspirational themes such as kindness, self-esteem, perseverance, creativity, and courage.
This volume features the following artists and their stories: Van Gogh and the Sunflowers, Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, Cézanne and the Apple Boy, Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail, The Magical Garden of Claude Monet, Tell Us a Story, Papa Chagall, Degas and the Little Dancer, Leonardo and the Flying Boy.
Laurence Anholt has written over seventy books, many in collaboration with his wife Catherine. They are both highly regarded in the UK and abroad as a successful author/illustrator team, and have had their books translated into many different languages. They met as undergraduates at Falmouth School of Art, and went on to achieve Master’s Degrees from the Royal Academy of Art and the Royal College respectively. The books which they have collaborated on are based firmly within their own family’s experiences, and many of Catherine’s illustrations depict scenes which families will recognise. It is this element which has helped to make their books so successful. Laurence also writes and illustrates his own books, and has written books with other illustrators, notably the Seriously Silly Stories, a topsy turvy series based on traditional tales but with a wonderful new twist. These were hilariously illustrated by Arthur Robins. In this series, Snow White and the Seven Aliens was awarded The Smarties Book Prize, and was shortlisted for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups Children’s Book Award and the Experian Big Three Book Prize. Daft Jack and the Beanstack was on the Sheffield Book Award shortlist and Ghostyshocks and the Three Scares was Pick of the Year for the Children’s Book Award. Laurence writes for a wide range of ages and is one of the most popular authors of today. Catherine and Laurence Anholt live in Lyme Regis with their three children.
