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VINCENT PAINTS HIS HOUSE

Name: VINCENT PAINTS HIS HOUSE
Author: Tedd Arnold
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3210-3

by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2015

So very Van Gogh and so very satisfying! (Picture book. 3-8)

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The conceit at the center of this celebration of art and color? Tell a pleasingly repetitive tale featuring the Dutch post-impressionist Vincent Van Gogh without ever mentioning his full name.

The eponymous Vincent (big-headed, bug-eyed, and ginger-bearded) sets out to paint the exterior of a charming little stucco house reminiscent of the iconic The Yellow House in Arles. Juggling a box of paint tubes, artist Vincent loads up his palette with a variety of saturated colors. Momentarily daunted by choice, he thinks, “White is nice,” and selects four tubes of white paint (snow, ivory, titanium, cream) to begin. But then: “Stop!” A sweet succession of tiny resident art critics—a spider, a bird, a mouse, a termite, a caterpillar, and a ladybug—all offer their own contributions to the project. Along with each color callout, a section of the painter’s palette is shown with a range of hues laid out; the paint tubes’ color labels are prominently displayed. By book’s end, that once-drab house is now painted in a quiet riot of broken color strokes and cozily situated under a swirling night sky. Arnold’s computer-generated art finesses the pigments and represents the textural effects of this great painter’s hand. Savvy parents and teachers will truly enjoy sharing this, both as an inspiration for art projects and as a low-key, kid-friendly introduction to this accessible painter.

So very Van Gogh and so very satisfying! (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-8234-3210-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: May 5, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
NOODLEHEADS TAKE IT EASY
by Tedd Arnold , Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold

- BOOK REVIEW
FLY GUY & FLY GIRL
by Tedd Arnold ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold

- BOOK REVIEW
NOODLEHEADS DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
by Tedd Arnold & Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM THE CRAYONS

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2025

Another endearing and amusing outing with these winsome characters.

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The Crayons love a holiday, and Mother’s Day is no exception.

Every color is different, and so is every mom. Purple’s mother, seated cross-legged in a yoga pose, “doesn’t color inside the lines.” Red’s works tirelessly to support her family, which sometimes means missing holidays. White Crayon adores his mother, “even though he can’t see her” (the accompanying image shows both crayons fading into the white background), while pale lime green Esteban’s mom supports his “dreams of adventure” by helping him pack. All the Crayons celebrate their families on this day, and not all the parents look like their children or are mothers. Laudably, Daywalt and Jeffers depict a variety of different families, allowing many readers to feel seen: Black can’t contain her love for both her mothers, the hair-covered brownish-beige Barfy Crayon embraces his stepmom, Chunky Toddler (a chubby crayon with a bite taken out of him) pays tribute to his dad on Mother’s Day, Yellow and Orange honor their grandmother, and Maroon, presumably adopted, sings the praises of his mom, a pot of glue who literally holds the family together. As in previous Crayon books, Jeffers’ elegantly quirky and humorous illustrations complement Daywalt’s delightful text, which adeptly balances humor and heart.

Another endearing and amusing outing with these winsome characters. (Picture book. 4-8)