THE IRIDESCENCE OF BIRDS, A Book About Henri Matisse – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: The Iridescence of Birds – A Book About Henri Matisse

Written by: Patricia MacLachlan

Illustrated by: Hadley Hooper

Published by: A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Book Press, 2014

Themes/Topics: Henri Matisse, painters, the influence of childhood, France

Suitable for ages: 5-11

40 pages, biography

Opening:

If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town in northern France where the skies were grey…….

Synopsis:

A book about the young Henri Matisse and what inspired him to create the vivid art for which he is known. Patricia MacLachlan describes how a small boy in northern France would want to fill his gray world with color. He is inspired and encouraged by his artistic mother and colors of: red rugs on the floors and walls, plates painted by his mother and meadows, trees, rivers and birds. The text is mainly one long ‘what if’ question, and the language is accessible to young children. The author even trusts young readers with the beauty and complexity of phrases like, “the iridescence of birds!”

Why I like This Book:

As Joy Chu said, ‘This is a portable art gallery of sheer delight with pitch perfect text.’ As a huge Matisse fan from living over a decade in Nice within walking distance of the fabulous Matisse art gallery there, I can say that the reproductive style here by Hadley Hooper is unreal in its realism! The text has the wishful, curious optimism of childhood and paints in words a persuasive possibility of the childhood shapes, shades, textures and colors that later influenced the many Matisse masterpieces. This is the same author that brought Sarah, Plain and Tall to us, in case you were wondering. I confess I thought this might have been a Caldecott contender.

Activities/Resources:

My Mother loved everything I did.

This is a fascinating look at the childhood influences on one artist in particular. Patricia MacClachlan takes a paragraph at the end of the book to explore why painters paint what they do. Hadley Hooper discusses the artistic immersion she underwent to do the illustrations, “I researched and imagined the patterns he might have seen growing up in the textile town of Bohain-en-Vermandois. Using Google maps I was able to piece together what his street and childhood home looked like. I thought about his work just before sleep and, as the deadline approached, as soon as I woke up. It was a total immersion and a total luxury.” 

This is the opening ‘gray’ scene taken from Hadley Hooper’s website http://www.hadleyhooper.com/picture-book/

Artist biographies are on perennial demand in most primary schools, and this is an absolute must to add to those shelves.

There are many other picture books for further reading on Henri Matisse:

• Matisse, Dance for Joy by Susan and Rubin Goldman
• A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse by Bijou le Tord
• Henri Matisse: Artists in their Time by Judy Welton
• Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors by Keesia Johnson and Jane O’Connor

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us