Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box

by David McPhail, David McPhail (Illustrator)

Overview

All her life, Beatrix Potter loved to paint. From a young age, she painted the bunnies, mice, and other pets who populated her family home. These characters later populated her stories, which are beloved the whole world over. With beautiful scenes rich in detail, David McPhail transports us to the charming, English countryside and the wonderful world of Beatrix Potter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805091700
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	411,182
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

David McPhail is the author of many books for children, including The Family Tree, Mole Music, The Teddy Bear, and the popular Pig Pig stories. He lives with his family in Rye, New Hampshire.

Editorial Reviews

10/05/2015
In this tranquil portrait of Peter Rabbit creator Potter, McPhail (Bunny's First Spring) imagines her life as a budding artist growing up in London with her mother, father, and brother. As a child, Potter painted pictures of her family pets, including her rabbit, a mouse named Henrietta ("who once scampered across her paint box, leaving tracks everywhere!"), and a lizard; during summers in the countryside, she painted sheep and toadstools. When an adult Potter learned that a friend's child had fallen ill, she wrote a story for him (remembering a period of illness from her own childhood, during which she was confined to bed), which becomes The Tale of Peter Rabbit. McPhail frames his warm, ink-and-watercolor scenes within tidy borders, creating a feeling akin to peering inside the rooms of a dollhouse. He also pays homage to Potter's work by way of a rabbit, which reappears beside the text on several pages, and this book's small format itself: "Beatrix insisted that the books be small," he explains. " ‘Little books for little hands,' she said." Ages 4–8. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"McPhail’s signature pen-and-ink and watercolors mirror Potter’s detailed style for both nature motifs and human subjects. . . . . realistic animals and landscapes inspire a genuine love of the natural world and the charming English countryside." —Booklist, on Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box

“* McPhail's . . . paintings work seamlessly in tandem with the words to deliver a truly resonant message: . . . music can change the world. ” —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Mole Music

“The beloved Mole will easily win the affections of readers and inspire young hopes for a better world.” —Kirkus Reviews on Mole Music

“* McPhail's beautiful soft-toned watercolor pictures with detailed ink cross-hatching tell the elemental story of shelter and love through the child's eyes.” —Booklist, starred review on The Teddy Bear

“[McPhail] invests his pen-and-watercolor illustrations with affection and warmth, and his expert use of soft shading and cross-hatching creates a welcoming world readers will want to inhabit.” —Publishers Weekly on The Teddy Bear

“A sweet and gentle blend of favorite and important topics will make this a treasure of a book to be read, reread, and shared.” —School Library Journal on The Teddy Bear

From the Publisher

Prolific artist and author David McPhail says Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is his “hero” and no wonder—he, too, began drawing at a tender age and loves painting animals. Here is his tribute to Potter for the very young, with emphasis on her paint box. The paint box, a gift from Potter’s mother, is evident in nearly every picture, along with a water jar, brushes, and often a rabbit. Indeed, Potter did spend much time painting in the spacious nursery provided by her wealthy parents, who allowed her and her brother to keep a variety of pets. Every summer, the Potters moved, first to Scotland and later to the Lake District, where she and her brother could run wild, observe nature, and Beatrix could paint. (McPhail foreshadows her exquisite mature illustrations of fungi by showing her painting some red mushrooms.) Objecting to art lessons and driving her own pony cart in the summers, Potter early displayed a mind of her own. Finally, McPhail tells the story of a grownup Potter’s illustrated letter to little Noel, son of her favorite governess, to cheer him when he is sick—it became the prototype for The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Basing his portraits on photos of the young Potter, McPhail achieves some remarkable likenesses with fine ink to evoke her Victorian childhood, though neither Potter nor her father was as short and doll-like as pictured. Each watercolor illustration is framed with a dark line and white space until the last expands to full bleed as readers see her adult hand holding a brush while painting a pink-eared mouse. The endpapers show McPhail’s watercolor technique with a lovely scene in the Lake Country and a thriving garden like Potter’s Hilltop Farm in Near Sawrey. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft; Ages 3 to 6.

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

10/01/2015
PreS-Gr 2—Simple text and soft watercolors combine to present a glimpse into the life of a beloved author and illustrator. Rather than providing a complete biography, McPhail concentrates on Beatrix Potter's childhood love of nature and her drive to express her passion through painting. A good companion to Potter's stories, this work offers insight into the author. McPhail uses his typical artistic style, employing rounded figures, warm colors, and inked outlines and details. Most of the illustrations are boxed, with the images set off from the text. Many libraries may already have a Potter biography, such as Jeanette Winter's Beatrix (Farrar, 2003) or Alexandra Wallner's Beatrix Potter (Holiday House, 1995). This title does not provide unique biographical information and lacks notes and sources. The format, however, is accessible to very young children and could inspire developing artists. VERDICT A worthy addition where Potter or McPhail are popular.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

2015-06-29
A small girl named Beatrix Potter spends her childhood painting. Born to wealthy parents on July 28, 1866, in London, Beatrix spends her time with nannies and tutors "in the upstairs nursery, away from the activities of the grown-ups." This doesn't look as lonely as it sounds, though: Beatrix is contentedly painting, with great focus, from the very first page. Across from the first illustration, underneath the text, a tiny paint box and water jar look as tempting as anything could. Quietly, McPhail tells how Beatrix fashions sketchbooks out of paper and string, painting pictures of her pets, her brother's pets, and nature overall: rabbit, mouse, lizard, toadstools, countryside. She paints to cope with sadness when her brother leaves for school; she paints in her own style, dismissing lessons. Eventually, growing older, she writes and draws what will become The Tale of Peter Rabbit. "Little books for little hands," she says, insisting that her published books take a diminutive trim, and while this biography isn't as small as those, it is still comfortably small. A few spreads are full-bleed, but most of the pictures are squared, nesting cozily inside white frames. Soft yet lush watercolors and fine lines create an old-fashioned feeling, and Beatrix herself resembles an early Maurice Sendak character. Humble and lovely. (Picture book/biography. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews