The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Peacock, Shane

The Artist and Me

40 pp. | Owlkids | April, 2016 | Trade ISBN 978-1-77147-138-1 $16.95

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Casson. An elderly gentleman compiling a scrapbook looks back on his childhood in the south of France, specifically time spent tormenting an eccentric artist (whom readers discover is Vincent van Gogh). Peacock's first-person narrative, framed as the scrapbook's text, is forthright and self-aware; sunlit illustrations reflect the artist's brilliance without mimicry. End notes offer information about van Gogh and the story's inspiration. Bib.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016