Product Description

Katie visits five paintings by Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne! Katie tries to pick the sunflower seeds from the Vincent Van Gogh painting, but when the vase tips over, the flowers go everywhere. Mimi, a little girl from a painting nearby, comes to help Katie, but when Mimi's dog Zazou comes too disaster follows! This imaginative fantasy about a mischievous character is an original and fun way to introduce children to art. A page of notes at the end gives background information on the artists. Includes reproductions of five famous post-Impressionist masterpieces: Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh Breton Girls Dancing by Paul Gauguin Cafe Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh Still Life, with Apples and Oranges by Paul Cezanne Tahitian Pastorals by Paul Gauguin

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39758 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Katie (from Katie and the Mona Lisa and Katie Meets the Impressionists) goes on another art appreciation adventure in Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew. This time she steps in and out of post-impressionist paintings, including Van Gogh's Sunflowers, C‚zanne's Still Life with Apples and Oranges and Gauguin's Tahitian Pastorals.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-In this, the third story about Katie's art adventures, the girl and her grandmother leave their garden on a rainy day to go to the museum. The child is drawn to Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers, and discovers she can reach in and touch them. Alas, she bumps the vase and the whole arrangement falls out of the painting and onto the floor. She hears laughter coming from Paul Gauguin's Breton Girls Dancing hanging nearby, and she enters that canvas and enlists the help of one of the girls. Further pandemonium ensues, involving interaction with more paintings, including Paul C?zanne's Still Life with Apples and Oranges. These featured artists, readers are informed on the last page, are the Postimpressionists, known for their use of strong color and line to express feeling. Mayhew's wonderful watercolor illustrations capture the strength of the paintings and, as their contents and people spill out into Katie's world, they change just enough to look as though they could belong there. While the idea of showcasing the paintings is the primary focus and the story secondary, this book succeeds as a lively and imaginative introduction to fine-art appreciation.
Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 5-8. Following up Katie Meets the Impressionists (1999) and Katie and the Mona Lisa (1999), the unstoppable Katie returns to the museum to jump in and out of paintings while grandma rests on a bench. This time Van Gogh's famous sunflowers fall out of the painting when Katie touches them. The girls in Gauguin's Breton Girls notice and giggle. "What's so funny?" asks Katie as she jumps into their painting. In the meantime, the girls' little dog has scooped up the sunflowers and escaped into the museum and into Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night. A chase ensues (rolling fruit from a Cezanne still life trips the cafe's waiter), and finally the dog is caught and the items and people return to their original paintings. Illustrated with Mayhew's impressionist-style watercolors, this delightful romp through the world of art offers children a lighthearted, entertaining introduction to the great masters' works. Helen Rosenberg
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