Vincent Can't Sleep: Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky

by Barb Rosenstock, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)

Overview

A gorgeous, lyrical picture-book biography of Vincent van Gogh by the Caldecott Honor team behind The Noisy Paint Box.
 
Vincent can’t sleep . . .
out, out, out he runs!              
flying through the garden—marigold, geranium, blackberry, raspberry—
past the church with its tall steeple, down rolling hills and sandy paths meant for sheep,
He dives at last into the velvety, violet heath, snuggles under a blanket of sapphire sky, 
and looks up, up, up . . . to visit with the stars. 
 
Vincent van Gogh often found himself unable to sleep and wandered under starlit skies. Those nighttime experiences provided the inspiration for many of his paintings, including his most famous, The Starry Night. Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime—but he continued to pursue his unique vision, and ultimately became one of the most beloved artists of all time.
 
From the same team behind the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint Box, Vincent Can’t Sleep is a stunning book that offers insight into the true meaning of creativity and commitment.
 
Praise for The Noisy Paint Box:
 
“Even those who aren’t inspired to visit a museum will take away the lesson of Kandinsky’s life: Listen to what excites you and follow its call.” —The New York Times
 
* “Rosenstock’s prose strikes a balance between lightheartedness and lyricism. GrandPré’s paintings conjure up an entire epoch . . . breathing life into all the characters.” —Publishers Weekly, starred
 
* “The rich word choice is a delight: pistachio, cobalt, and saffron introduce readers to colors while hissing, blaring, and whispering reveal the sounds of the colors. . . . This is a beautiful blend of colors, music, and life.” —Booklist, starred
 
* “A rich, accomplished piece about a pioneer in the art world.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred
 
* “The book offers diverse potential for different types of study, whether one is reading for information or for pleasure. Outstanding.” —School Library Journal, starred

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101937105
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	527,938
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

BARB ROSENSTOCK is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint Box, also illustrated by Mary GrandPré, as well as The Camping Trip that Changed America, illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, and Fearless: The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith, illustrated by Scott Dawson. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two big poodles. Visit her at BarbRosenstock.com or @barbrosenstock.
 
MARY GRANDPRÉ is best known as the illustrator of the Harry Potter books. She also illustrated the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint Box, as well as The Carnival of the Animals, written by Jack Prelutsky, and Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat by Jennifer Armstrong, amongst many others. Visit her at marygrandpre.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/09/2017
Vincent Van Gogh’s persistent insomnia is the frame through which Rosenstock and GrandPré (the team behind The Noisy Paintbox, about Wassily Kandinsky) examine his growth as an artist. Rosenstock’s hushed, lyrical writing shapes a vision of a solitary, poorly understood artist struggling with inner demons (“Flashing brushstrokes capture country cottages at dusk, city cafés at midnight, canvas after canvas like radiant chapters in a book only Vincent can read”). There’s a moodiness and unease apparent in GrandPré’s artwork, too: when Van Gogh finishes Starry Night, “strange and restless, like Vincent himself,” its swirling lines bleed off of the canvas and into the surrounding darkened room. A thoughtful author’s note closes out this moving study of Van Gogh’s fraught efforts to translate his ideas to canvas. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A beautiful exploration of van Gogh’s influences and achievement." —Booklist, starred review

"A soft, sad, lovely introduction to a masterpiece." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for The Noisy Paint Box:
 
“Even those who aren’t inspired to visit a museum will take away the lesson of Kandinsky’s life: Listen to what excites you and follow its call.” —The New York Times
 
* “Rosenstock’s prose strikes a balance between lightheartedness and lyricism. GrandPré’s paintings conjure up an entire epoch . . . breathing life into all the characters.” —Publishers Weekly, starred
 
* “The rich word choice is a delight: pistachio, cobalt, and saffron introduce readers to colors while hissing, blaring, and whispering reveal the sounds of the colors. . . . This is a beautiful blend of colors, music, and life.” —Booklist, starred
 
* “A rich, accomplished piece about a pioneer in the art world.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred
 
* “The book offers diverse potential for different types of study, whether one is reading for information or for pleasure. Outstanding.” —School Library Journal, starred

From the Publisher

09/01/2017
K-Gr 2—Long before Vincent van Gogh became a famous painter, he was young boy who couldn't sleep. He dreamt restlessly of escaping the confines of his life in boarding schools and bustling business centers, eagerly searching to find his passion and bring light to a harsh and unforgiving world. As a child, he wandered under the shimmering skies of his hometown, nestling in gardens and meadows and observing the intensity of the night sky. As a student, van Gogh was bored with his schoolwork and spent most of his time reading, writing, and dreaming alone. As an adult, he called himself an artist and set out on his own—teaching, writing, traveling—much to the dislike of his family. After he completes his masterpiece The Starry Night, his life's purpose is found and he can sleep peacefully at last. Captivating bursts of color are matched with rich vocabulary, capturing van Gogh's bold and unique interpretation of the world. The book's lyrical text paired with dazzling, expressive reiterations of van Gogh's most famous creations will enchant readers who long to discover their own artistic voice. VERDICT This versatile book is both an outstanding choice for reading aloud or for introducing art history concepts to young audiences.—Natalie Romano, Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2017-08-02
Vincent van Gogh's lifelong insomnia leads to his masterwork The Starry Night.Starting as a toddler, wide awake in a cradle, "Vincent can't sleep." He sees "pink and yellow starlit shapes that twinkle on the ceiling"; the illustration uses those starlit reflections and the real stars outside to begin the visual theme of The Starry Night. A bit older, he runs outdoors at night, lies down in a field, and "snuggles under a blanket of sapphire sky." He's at peace right then, but the text is poetically clear that peace wasn't plentiful: he "runs into the soothing darkness and is brought back to the harsh light over and over again." He "draws, writes, and sighs alone"; he drifts, lost, creating "canvas after canvas like radiant chapters in a book only Vincent can read." He's hospitalized for an unnamed illness. He works hard to know: "Does darkness have a texture? / Thick? / Thin?…Is the night sky at rest? Or do eleven stars pulse like a beating heart?" Together, text and pictures balance his unsettled melancholy against beauty and harmony. Facially, van Gogh looks much like any GrandPré face; however, GrandPré's acrylic, pen, and watercolor spreads make marvelous use of dark blues with yellows, putty hues and pinks with swirls, and curving lines, all building to a tender, magnificent final spread. A soft, sad, lovely introduction to a masterpiece. (images of original art, author's note, sources) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews