This biography was a delightful trip through the life of artist Marc Chagall, told through a combination of verse and the subject's own painting and photographs. More of a fan of the Impressionist school of painting, I had only a passing familiarity with Chagall's works (though I do love his stained glass panels at the Art Institution of Chicago) but all that has changed thanks to this wonderful book, which has shined a wonderful light onto this early Modernist.

On regards to the artwork chosen, they are perfect to illustrate the various important moments in Chagall's life, from his birth in a small Russian village ("I am the Village" to his family ("The Violinist") to his wife and daughter ("Double Portrait with a Glass of Wire") to his travels ("Paris Through the Window") to his later years ("The Fall of Icarus"). I definitely want to check out more of his artwork now.

As for the verse that accompany each painting, they are perfect companion pieces to help fully illustrate Chagall's life. Though they are all good and Jane Yolen is a fine young adult author, overall I found that I preferred the ones written by co-author J. Patrick Lewis more. Two personal favorites are, "The Promenade" which devotes a stanza each to the various cities that Chagall has lived in:

"Paris, City of Lights and scarlet nights, imagines
itself the patron of color to those it shelters,
people who believe that color is their reward
for not being born elsewhere"

And "The Tribe of Levi" which describes the various ways people interact with the stained glass windows they encounter:

"And a child, tying her shoe
besides the pulpit, is stopped
by the plot of a picture-book
story written in air,"

All together, the witty verses and the beautiful paintings combine to enlighten the reader about the artist Marc Chagall and maybe a bit about humanity as a whole. ( )

This biography was a delightful trip through the life of artist Marc Chagall, told through a combination of verse and the subject's own painting and photographs. More of a fan of the Impressionist school of painting, I had only a passing familiarity with Chagall's works (though I do love his stained glass panels at the Art Institution of Chicago) but all that has changed thanks to this wonderful book, which has shined a wonderful light onto this early Modernist.

On regards to the artwork chosen, they are perfect to illustrate the various important moments in Chagall's life, from his birth in a small Russian village ("I am the Village" to his family ("The Violinist") to his wife and daughter ("Double Portrait with a Glass of Wire") to his travels ("Paris Through the Window") to his later years ("The Fall of Icarus"). I definitely want to check out more of his artwork now.

As for the verse that accompany each painting, they are perfect companion pieces to help fully illustrate Chagall's life. Though they are all good and Jane Yolen is a fine young adult author, overall I found that I preferred the ones written by co-author J. Patrick Lewis more. Two personal favorites are, "The Promenade" which devotes a stanza each to the various cities that Chagall has lived in:

"Paris, City of Lights and scarlet nights, imagines
itself the patron of color to those it shelters,
people who believe that color is their reward
for not being born elsewhere"

And "The Tribe of Levi" which describes the various ways people interact with the stained glass windows they encounter:

"And a child, tying her shoe
besides the pulpit, is stopped
by the plot of a picture-book
story written in air,"

All together, the witty verses and the beautiful paintings combine to enlighten the reader about the artist Marc Chagall and maybe a bit about humanity as a whole. ( )

This biography was a delightful trip through the life of artist Marc Chagall, told through a combination of verse and the subject's own painting and photographs. More of a fan of the Impressionist school of painting, I had only a passing familiarity with Chagall's works (though I do love his stained glass panels at the Art Institution of Chicago) but all that has changed thanks to this wonderful book, which has shined a wonderful light onto this early Modernist.

On regards to the artwork chosen, they are perfect to illustrate the various important moments in Chagall's life, from his birth in a small Russian village ("I am the Village" to his family ("The Violinist") to his wife and daughter ("Double Portrait with a Glass of Wire") to his travels ("Paris Through the Window") to his later years ("The Fall of Icarus"). I definitely want to check out more of his artwork now.

As for the verse that accompany each painting, they are perfect companion pieces to help fully illustrate Chagall's life. Though they are all good and Jane Yolen is a fine young adult author, overall I found that I preferred the ones written by co-author J. Patrick Lewis more. Two personal favorites are, "The Promenade" which devotes a stanza each to the various cities that Chagall has lived in:

"Paris, City of Lights and scarlet nights, imagines
itself the patron of color to those it shelters,
people who believe that color is their reward
for not being born elsewhere"

And "The Tribe of Levi" which describes the various ways people interact with the stained glass windows they encounter:

"And a child, tying her shoe
besides the pulpit, is stopped
by the plot of a picture-book
story written in air,"

All together, the witty verses and the beautiful paintings combine to enlighten the reader about the artist Marc Chagall and maybe a bit about humanity as a whole. ( )

This biography was a delightful trip through the life of artist Marc Chagall, told through a combination of verse and the subject's own painting and photographs. More of a fan of the Impressionist school of painting, I had only a passing familiarity with Chagall's works (though I do love his stained glass panels at the Art Institution of Chicago) but all that has changed thanks to this wonderful book, which has shined a wonderful light onto this early Modernist.

On regards to the artwork chosen, they are perfect to illustrate the various important moments in Chagall's life, from his birth in a small Russian village ("I am the Village" to his family ("The Violinist") to his wife and daughter ("Double Portrait with a Glass of Wire") to his travels ("Paris Through the Window") to his later years ("The Fall of Icarus"). I definitely want to check out more of his artwork now.

As for the verse that accompany each painting, they are perfect companion pieces to help fully illustrate Chagall's life. Though they are all good and Jane Yolen is a fine young adult author, overall I found that I preferred the ones written by co-author J. Patrick Lewis more. Two personal favorites are, "The Promenade" which devotes a stanza each to the various cities that Chagall has lived in:

"Paris, City of Lights and scarlet nights, imagines
itself the patron of color to those it shelters,
people who believe that color is their reward
for not being born elsewhere"

And "The Tribe of Levi" which describes the various ways people interact with the stained glass windows they encounter:

"And a child, tying her shoe
besides the pulpit, is stopped
by the plot of a picture-book
story written in air,"

All together, the witty verses and the beautiful paintings combine to enlighten the reader about the artist Marc Chagall and maybe a bit about humanity as a whole. ( )

A beautiful biography in art and verse. ( )