Where is the Frog?: A Children's Book Inspired by Claude Monet

by Géraldine Elschner (Text by), Stephane Girel (Illustrator)

Overview

Based on the beloved series of water lily paintings by Claude Monet, this children's book draws readers into the atmosphere and colors of Monet's garden at Giverny, where a lovely but vain frog tries to insert herself into the artist's work. When Antoinette, a comely young frog, learns that a famous artist is searching for beautiful flowers to paint, she is determined to get in the picture. But once the portrait is painted, it disappears—perhaps forever. This delightfully humorous mystery is accompanied by colorful illustrations that recall Monet's paintings of the pond near his home in Giverny. The final pages of the book feature reproductions of eight of Monet's water lily paintings. As children follow Antoinette's antics on a summer evening in France, they will become entranced by the pond, the painter, the light, and the beauty of Monet's world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783791371399
Publisher:	Prestel Publishing
Publication date:	04/25/2013
Series:	Children's Books Inspired by Famous Artworks
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,139,375
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 12.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1–4—Antoinette lives in Claude Monet's pond at Giverny, and every day she angles to be included in his paintings. When he finally notices and paints her, she is so excited that she knocks the canvas into the water and "the masterpiece has remained missing ever since." Beautiful, impressionistic illustrations in the style of Monet are somewhat marred by the inclusion of the cartoonlike frog. The text has been awkwardly translated, carelessly switching between first and third person, and offering odd turns of phrase ("Calm down, gargoyle," "By Jove, what a fool I am!"). The story ends abruptly, declaring that Antoinette was never seen again and that Mister Claude "never really got over" losing his frog painting. While the illustrations may get readers interested in the work of Monet, the silly story misses the mark. Back matter offers images of Monet's paintings that were used as settings in the story and some commentary on his life and work. This material is more interesting than Antoinette's story but is aimed at an older audience. There are other children's books on the work of Monet, the classic being Christina Björk's Linnea in Monet's Garden (R & S Books, 1987), rendering this one suitable only for large art-history collections for young children.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

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