Mary Cassatt

Starred review from July 20, 2015
Herkert and Swiatkowska present an enchanting portrait of an uncompromising artist, and from the start there’s no mistaking that Cassatt was uninterested in hewing to social and artistic conventions. “In 1860, proper girls weren’t artists. They had polite hobbies—flower arranging, needlepoint. Not Mary,” Herkert writes, as Swiatkowska pictures a young Cassatt glowering, arms crossed over her chest (one suspects she’s about to rip the giant white bow off her own head). Swiatkowska does an exceptional job of evoking Cassatt’s artwork and era while staying true to the idiosyncrasies of her own work, and as Herkert follows Cassatt from art school to Europe and friendship with Degas, the rewards of creating art on one’s own terms become abundantly clear. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

August 15, 2015
Starting in childhood, impressionist artist Mary Cassatt carves her own path. Mary grows up "tall and temperamental," absolutely set on being an artist despite the 1860s social mores dictating that "proper girls weren't artists. They had polite hobbies-flower arranging, needlepoint." She attends art school and goes to Paris, sitting in the Louvre to copy the old masters. Connecting with Edgar Degas gives her a community that supports her independent streak: "We paint as we please. We break the judges' rules." Herkert's bold phrasing-"Mary swept jewel tones across her canvas"-implies artistic zest. However, despite varied media (gouache, watercolor, acrylic, enamel, and tempera), Swiatkowska's illustrations don't match the text's descriptions. A spread of "canary yellow, radiant pink, vibrant blue" shows no yellow at all (tan instead) and pleasant but low-intensity blue and pink. "Brilliant tones" and "lightning bolts of white" are narrated but not shown. Skin tones and backgrounds lean toward gray. Readers sophisticated enough to appreciate sentences like "she rendered cropped angles" will notice how much more is told than shown, including the fact that Cassatt is portrayed actually painting only once. Regrettably, Asian art is labeled "exotic." Though the text works hard to convey it, getting an aesthetic sense of Cassatt's famous body of work will require another source. (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

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October 1, 2015

Gr 3-5-Art with a capital A leaps from every page of this gorgeous picture book biography, but in the end, readers are left with a muddled view of Mary Cassatt. Combining gouache, watercolors, acrylics, enamel, and tempera, Swiatkowska presents a visually arresting view of the artist's life. Most of the illustrations are spreads with thickly layered backgrounds. Small splashes of bright colors or textures let images stand out from muted backdrops. The black and gray scenes of Cassatt's childhood give way to lighter tones for the ones that take place after she was able to go to Paris to further her studies. As Herkert describes how Cassatt grew as an artist, the palette becomes brighter and less oppressive. Images from Cassatt's paintings appear throughout, but there is no guide or listing. Those unfamiliar with Cassatt may be confused when a version of Rembrandt's Syndics of the Clothmakers' Guild is adapted in one spread or when Edgar Degas's The Ballet Class and L'Absinthe are used in others. While having kids identify the different works could be a great extension for art classes, the approach is somewhat sophisticated for younger children. While Swiatkowska's artistic expression is impressive, it does not fully extend the text and contribute to readers' understanding of Cassatt's artistry. Quotations from Cassatt's letters provide glimpses into her feelings about painting, but without more context, readers may have trouble appreciating Cassatt's larger significance in the art world. VERDICT Useful as a supplemental resource, but not essential for every collection.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Grades K-3 Cassatt made a splash when she showed her paintings in Parisher domestic scenes of women painted in bright colors and luminous patches of white caught the attention of Edgar Degas, who invited her to join the Impressionists. Herkert's concise lines highlight major points in Cassatt's life, from being first in line to enroll in art school at 16 to her fateful meeting with the Impressionists, when she said her life truly began. In these moments, Herkert never misses an opportunity to emphasize Cassatt's opinionated, determined personality, which is a valuable takeaway for young readers. While the text occasionally uses vocabulary that will challenge the typical picture-book audience, Swiatkowska's lush paintings beautifully evoke Cassatt's signature style. In a saturated color palette smeared with bright white, Swiatkowska's paintings show some of Cassatt's iconic figures, such as a woman bathing her child in a washtub and a young girl lounging in a chair, with her own smudgy spin. Little ones fresh off a museum visit will likely appreciate this warm introduction to a pioneering artist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)