Spend a Day with Monet
Heck, I’ll spend a day with Monet! You can too with this one-of-a-kind book, Monet Paints a Day ($16.95, Charlesbridge, Ages 6-9) Author Julie Dannenberg portrays a day in the life of Monet, one of the most celebrated of all Impressionist painters. The book is written in the first person from the perspective of Monet himself, as he describes where he is, what he sees and how he paints on one special day on the French seaside in 1885. It seems very realistic and is extremely informative. In addition to the interesting thoughts of Monet, there are small information boxes throughout the book giving intriguing details about how Monet painted and worked with light and glimpses into his personality (not all wonderful traits either!)
The watercolor illustrations by artist Caitlin Heimerl are colorful, wispy and perfectly fitting for the story. In the back of the book is an author’s note with information about Monet and what inspired the her to write the story.
I love the fact that this book gives young readers an inside track to the painter’s life. It’s one thing to understand that a man was an artist, and yet another to understand how he worked and how much effort it took to get his paintings just the way he wanted them. Teaching kids that excellence takes time, patience and persistence is a wonderful thing, and Monet Paints a Day is a wonderful book.