This book presents the life and work of Henri Matisse as a child's school report.

Brief, easy, but serious biography and explanation of Matisse and his work. I didn't know that he had been given the wrong measurements for the wall of the Barnes Foundation or many details of his personal life. The first-person narrative by a young girl allows for informal comments and analysis of Matisse's art. It also tangentially raises the question, if others painted the paper that Matisse cut out and then they put it on the wall according to his instructions, how many creators were there? I suppose it's like the people who made Rodin's sculptures. Still, it made me realize again the cooperative nature of art and creativity. ( )

I love this book about one of my favorite artists. It is presented in the form of a child's report on Henri Matisse, with a copy of the supposed teacher's handwritten assignment in the front, and a mock written report by Keesha following. Under the guise of this format, which adds a great deal of appeal for the young audience the book is targeting, the reader learns biographical information about Henri Matisse. The focus is his life, but there are also observations about his style. The book even offers a bit of artistic evaluation of some of his paintings, at an appropriately simple level, since it is purportedly written by a child and intended for a child to read.

The art in the book captures Matisse's spirit. Brilliant reproductions of his paintings, photographs of the artist at work, and original illustrations that are supposed to have been drawn by Keesha, the young author of the report. These unique drawings sometimes imitate the art being described in that part of the book, and sometimes reveal how Keesha connects the art to her own life. These pictures are clever, as is the entire book. The title is wonderful, the concept of presenting all this information in the form of a report, the way it models for children how they can evaluate art and connect it to their own life, and enjoy art, by using Keesha as an example. This is a fantastic choice to teach children about both Matisse and art in general. I certainly plan on using this book and others in the Smart about Art series to teach my own children. ( )