20th November Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou

The Art Gallery of NSW is holding an exhibition of art by Henri Matisse from 20th November until March and it will be something truly special! In preparation I have taken all the books about this French artist off the library shelves in order to start next year with a display celebrating his life and work. Many of the teachers at school focus on his work in art lessons during the year, but given that some students will visit the gallery in their school holidays and some others might be inspired to go in Term 1 after reading about him, a display in the library is warranted. We have over thirty books  about his work so it will look good. We can cater for the preschooler, the artist and the readers! Here is some of what will be in the display:

Blue and Other Colours with Henri Matisse

A Magical Day with Matisse by Julie Merberg & Suzanne Bober

   Oooh! Matisse by Jean-Yves Verdu & Mil Niepold    

         
Matisse's Magical Trail by Tim Hopgood & Sam Broughton

How the Snail Found its Colours by Haneul Ddang & Mi-Ran Yang

Henri's Scissors by Jeannette Winter

Matisse King of Colour by Laurence Anholt

Henri Matisse: Cutting with Scissors by Jane O'Connor & Jessie Hartland

Cut-Out Fun with Matisse by Nina Hollein & Max Hollein

Colourful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse by Marjorie Blain Parker & Holly Berry

Matisse's Garden by Samantha Friedman & Cristina Amodeo

The Mermaid and the Parakeet by Veronique Massenot & Vanessa Hie

Two picture books to read:

A Bird or Two by Bijou Le Tord

When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden

and the piece de resistance

The Iridescence of Birds by Patricia MacLachlan & Hadley Hooper

For lunchtime cut and paste sessions a la Matisse which I will do with the students who choose to be in the library at lunchtime, inspiration will come from

The Swimmers by Ana Bianchi

6th October Jeanette Winter (1939)

Lately, as I have reviewed my calendar, in readiness for planning displays and lessons I have found a few mistakes. Previously I have written about Jeanette Winter and have celebrated her birthday on 6th September. I also said she was born in 1939 but have recently found another reference that says 1933, but irrespective of when her birthday is or how old she is, it is certainly well worth the effort of gathering up her wonderful books for a reread. On holiday in New Zealand last week I went into The Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop and found a copy of her latest book, Henri's Scissors. This is a picture book biography of Henri Matisse. Although it starts with Henri as a small boy who drew pictures everywhere, and tells how he moved to Paris and became a famous painter,` the title and a large part of the story focusses on Matisse's later life when a serious illness confined him to a wheelchair and he took up cutting paper into enormous shapes to create breathtaking collages. Winter has included quotes from  Matisse and a note of her own at the end of the story explaining where her inspiration came from. On Winter's motivation for writing and illustrating there is an interesting interview here where her son Jonah Winter, who is also a writer, asks his mother questions. Many of Jeanette Winter's books are in fact biographies. See my pinterest page for other titles by her and her son, Jonah Winter.

http://www.pinterest.com/kinderbookboard/picture-book-biographies/

31st December Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)

Henri Matisse was a French artist who was known for his use of colour and fluid lines. Just like the artists Monet and Picasso there are so many picture book resources on Matisse that are suitable for very young children.

In my library there are three board books:• Matisse for Kids by Margaret Hyde

• A Magical Day With Matisse by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober

• Matisse: Dance For Joy by Susan Goldman Rubin

There are books that introduce his techniques and give biographical details such as:

• Henri Matisse: Drawing With Scissors by Jane O'Connor and Jessie Hartland

• Matisse: The King of Colour by Laurence Anholt

• Matisse: Cut-Out Fun With Matisse by Nina Hollein (Adventures in Art)

And there are fun stories such as :

• A Bird or Two: A Story About Matisse by Bijou LeTord

• When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden