Cezanne and the Apple Boy

By Author / Illustrator

Laurence Anholt

Genre

Adventure

Publisher

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd

ISBN

9781847806048

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

04-06-2015

Synopsis

Paul Cezanne was one of the greatest of the French impressionist painters. This delightful book follows his son, also called Paul, as he travels to the mountains to spend a summer with his father. He discovers that his father, a very large man, paints the natural world with a passion that few can understand. But one day they meet an art dealer in a village who offers to try to sell some of the paintings in Paris ... the rest is history.

The reader gains a real insight into Cezanne the man through the eyes of a child - sometimes frightening, fastidious (he won't touch other people), warm-hearted, driven by a passion for his art. And it provides a vivid introduction to Cezanne's work, with reproductions of his most famous paintings incorporated in the illustrations.

Reviews

A touching story that follows the Artist Paul Cezanne in 1886 as he takes his son on a trek up a mountain, painting as he goes. The story is easy to follow and drip feeds facts about Cezanne in a way that is accessible for children. I've enjoyed reading this book and learning about the man who laid the foundations of cubism! Anholt has written a whole series of books that focus on different artists - through the children that knew them. This is a great way of engaging children and getting them to think beyond the classic pieces of art that they often encounter in schools or museums in a passive way. Picture book / Ages 7+ / Reviewed by Lizi Coombs, teacher.