Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Good information, but beware of noose! April 29, 2006
sarab (oc/california)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I loved the fact that there is a children's book out there that contained all of my favorite works by Van Gogh, with text to support it, which can be read by my 7 year old. I don't know, perhaps I'm overprotective, but I didn't think one of the cartoons, showing a stick figure of "Mr. Van Gogh" in a NOOSE was appropriate for my son! (The context was that his students drew it....still, inappropriate! If a student would draw that on any chalkboard in any school district, they would probably be expelled!) I am planning on saving this book, for when he is older, and am looking for a replacement van gogh book for now, with only prints of his masterpieces!
 great idea for a series March 11, 2006
pwhimsy (Ann Arbor, MI United States)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
these are a wonderful set of books for children to read to themselves, they are well researched and written. as an art teacher for pre-schoolers I found some of the information too negative, too personal and I really dislike the cartoons, it is too easy for children to focus on those and it detract from the artwork. Still I am glad I bought this one and will buy more, just maybe not to show my students, but to get ideas for teaching to kids.
For the price, it is a good book for beginners and children October 7, 2005
Jennifer (Texas)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My 6 year old liked the paintings in the book and while the book did a decent job of covering the basics, I knew enough to fill in the blanks with what I know about the artist. We also went online and researched some of his life and art. It was simple and to the point and since my child is 6 years old, I woudl say this book would be good for her age group and up.
Van Gogh (Getting to Know The World's Greatest Artists) February 18, 2003
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book offered a great resource for my classroom. There is a lot to read about his life and history so I would definitely not use it as a read-aloud. I do however, use this book to point out significant events in his life. The illustrations are light and add humor to an otherwise depressing life. They bring the artist to life and that makes it easier for my students to relate to and it keeps up their interest. Informative and enjoyable, this book is a must have for teachers.
Excellent art appreciation but questionable cartoons April 27, 2002
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Well, we should not have been surprised that Vincent Van Gogh presents a challenge to Mike Venezia, because the tragic life of this particular artist does not especially lend itself to the cartoons that Venezia includes in his Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series. On the one hand we are talking about one of the most famous artists of all time, whose paintings now sell for millions and millions of dollars. But on the other hand we have a man who suffered severe emotional problems, cut off his ear, and ended up committing suicide. To be fair, Van Gogh was the epitome of the starving artist, and while none of the cartoons in the book goes too far, the one on the back of Venezia's self-portrait with a paper-cut is over the line given that this is a book for children.pThe strength of the book is that Venezia does one of his best jobs of explaining the unique style of the artist with his look at Van Gogh. It is ironic that in a book where the subject presents such problems, Venezia provides ten cartoons in the book, which might be the most I have seen in any of his volumes to date (there are 22 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh). Certainly the cartoons do not reflect the tone of the text, which deals with Van Gogh's problems in a straight-forward manner. But given the fate of the artist, it is hard to find them totally appropriate. Again, to be fair, this is Venezia's format and we could not expect him to abandon it and perhaps he was trying to provide a counterbalance to Van Gogh's self-destructive impulses. Certainly parents should check this one out and make a judgment for their own children, and teachers should do the same thing for their students. A good alternative text, although written for a slightly older audience, is "What Makes a Van Gogh a Van Gogh" put out by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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