cover image Through the Window: Views of Marc Chagall’s Life and Art

Through the Window: Views of Marc Chagall’s Life and Art

Barb Rosenstock, illus. by Mary GrandPré. Knopf, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5247-1751-3

Beginning with Chagall’s childhood in the village of Vitebsk, Belarus, Rosenstock’s expressive ode to the artist is laced with references to familiar moments from Chagall’s oeuvre: “Neighbors squabble, rabbis bless, a bowlegged fiddler plays on a rooftop.” Working in painterly layers, GrandPré integrates Chagall’s chimerical imagery into her pictures. Rejected by some for his nontraditional work, Chagall was embraced by a community of French artists, including Cezanne, Gauguin, and Matisse. Rosenstock and GrandPré closely observe and reflect Chagall’s life and creative process: spreads show the artist envisioning, painting, and sculpting, while artisans prepare stained glass for the enchanting, blue-bathed “America Windows” in Chicago. A lush and insightful portrait of a daring and imaginative artist. Ages 4–8. [em](Sept.) [/em]