On an Island with Gauguin - ISBNLookup.com

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Other board books which use art from well-known artists seem to be just a pastiche. In this case, the authors have used the art to give a flavor of life on a tropical island as depicted in the works of Paul Gauguin. It works. Kids will be attracted to the two young children on the cover who are reprised later in the book. Each spread features a painting which may cover just one panel or spread over into the second page. The text which is not printed in a straight line ripples across the pages like waves lapping at an island's shores. There are several components in each of the painted scenes or comments in the text that explain what the artist is showing the viewer. The backgrounds for the paintings have texture and often small elements that are taken from each painting such as a flower. The closing pages list each painting and where it can be seen. It is a beautiful package, and, while aimed at very young children, it really is a book that can be appreciated by all ages. It is part of the "Mini Master's" series. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot

School Library Journal

K Gr 2 There seems to be a disconnect between the format and the content of these small board books. Merberg and Bober have penned loosely plotted rhyming stories that use Rousseau's and Gauguin's paintings to illustrate the action. The first book opens, "After a stroll in the starlit night,/beneath a moon that's pearly white,/a girl falls asleep on a sandy bed,/as magical pictures dance in her head." The remaining images are all supposedly part of the girl's dreams. Similarly, Gauguin's paintings provide a backdrop for a simple rhyming narrative about island life. Neither the art nor the vocabulary ideas seem suited to a board-book audience. Stick with more traditional informational texts about the lives of the artists and their contributions to the art world.-Lynne Mattern, Robert Seaman School, Jericho, NY