Review by Booklist Review
Antoinette, a cheeky frog in Monet's garden, is determined to be the subject of one of the artist's paintings. Striking various poses doesn't work for her, though Monet eventually captures her likeness when she falls asleep in his hat. Antoinette is so taken with her image, she attempts to kiss it, knocking it into the pond and neither the painting nor Antoinette are seen again. The illustrations, reminiscent in style and content of Monet's paintings, provide a luxurious background for the cartoonish amphibian's antics and transcend the slight story. The insertion of goofy Antoinette into the somber paintings provides the humor that will help some appreciate the art and absorb details that otherwise might be missed. Eight pages of back matter provide basic information about Monet and the impressionists and feature reproductions of Monet's work. There are other picture books featuring stories about frogs in Monet's garden with stronger story lines, but the art here is more in keeping with Monet's masterpieces. Worth a look.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Antoinette lives in Claude Monet's pond at Giverny, and every day she angles to be included in his paintings. When he finally notices and paints her, she is so excited that she knocks the canvas into the water and "the masterpiece has remained missing ever since." Beautiful, impressionistic illustrations in the style of Monet are somewhat marred by the inclusion of the cartoonlike frog. The text has been awkwardly translated, carelessly switching between first and third person, and offering odd turns of phrase ("Calm down, gargoyle," "By Jove, what a fool I am!"). The story ends abruptly, declaring that Antoinette was never seen again and that Mister Claude "never really got over" losing his frog painting. While the illustrations may get readers interested in the work of Monet, the silly story misses the mark. Back matter offers images of Monet's paintings that were used as settings in the story and some commentary on his life and work. This material is more interesting than Antoinette's story but is aimed at an older audience. There are other children's books on the work of Monet, the classic being Christina Bjork's Linnea in Monet's Garden (R & S Books, 1987), rendering this one suitable only for large art-history collections for young children.-Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A frog in a Giverny garden pond is determined to find her way into one of Mister Claude's paintings. But when she finally triumphs, the painting falls into the water. The awkwardly written story does little to introduce Monet's work, but the pretty landscapes nicely embody his style. Reproductions of eight Monet water lily paintings and contextual and biographical information are appended. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
