Louise Loves Art

May 19, 2014
Louise loves to draw, and her drawings are spread out all over the floor as she explains to readers what she loves about art: “It’s my imagination on the outside,” she says. Meanwhile, her towheaded younger brother—whose name is also Art—shows his admiration for his big sister by using a red crayon and scissors to make a paper pair of red glasses just like hers. Then he grabs her best drawing and snips it into paper dolls. “Art! How could you?” Louise groans. “It’s my drawing... my masterpiece!” She forgives him, though: “Oh, Art, I love it,” she says generously—she very clearly loves both kinds of Art. Louise is full of enthusiasm for her own work, but she also has some good advice: “To be a great artist, you have to notice everything.” Newcomer Light (illustrator of the Elvis and the Underdogs series) is a confident visual storyteller with a gentle sense of comic timing; Louise and Art have the loose, stylized look of vintage comics characters, with similarly easy-to-read expressions. Ages 4–8. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown.

August 1, 2014
A fresh and bright sibling tale. "I love art!" declares Louise. She's splayed on the floor, her face smushed blissfully into pages of her own drawings. Her medium is plain pencil, and she's prolific. "To be a great artist, you have to notice everything. / Every line...every curve....Wait-hold that pose! I will capture your cat-ness!" Her supple, sinuous black cat willingly strikes various poses, one mimicking Rodin's The Thinker. There's nary an adult, but Louise and her cat aren't alone: Her little brother's right there, worshipping her. As Louise finishes her piece de resistance and trots to the kitchen to prepare an exhibition at the Gallery du Fridge, little bro repeatedly bids for her attention. "Not now, Art," she temporizes-revealing for the first time the title's double meaning-so Art putters happily behind. With Louise distracted, he uses her art to make into his own. There's an eruption, of course, but Louise soon sees that Art's art is all homage. Using plentiful white space, black pencil and red highlights (other colors are present but muted), Light creates breezy, witty illustrations that recall Hilary Knight's pictures for Kay Thompson's Eloise, especially on spreads showing one character in many positions. A recurring red double-circle-Louise's glasses, Art's drawing of Louise's glasses and a scissors handle-makes a delightful visual theme to follow.Cheerfully art-ful. (Picture book. 3-6)

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July 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-Passion is contagious. Fun, focused, and full of flair, Louise anxiously works toward creating her masterpiece. Meanwhile her little brother, tagging along, wants her attention. No whining or pulling skirts, though. Wide-eyed, he admires her with a thoughtful smile as she hugs her drawings, exclaiming, "I love art! It's my imagination on the outside." He picks up some scissors (remember paper chain people?) and with a parallel focus and drive begins to make his own art, unbeknownst to either Louise or readers. The other visual subplot features the equally engaged Bewitched-style black cat that acts as the visual narrator. All is laid out in a retro, comic-book style, told in (mostly) bright white with bits of neutrals and lots of flashes of British telephone booth red: a crayon, a pair of scissors, Louise's Corbusier glasses, and her ubiquitous signature everywhere. It reaches a surprising, dreadful, pensive, joyful conclusion when they arrive at the "Gallery du Fridge" to hang Louise's "piece de resistance." Then the pace stops and starts, as Louise discovers that her little brother is indeed an artist, too. The fresh sense of design and color and plays on words will entertain adults. Younger siblings will appreciate Louise's generosity that transcends the typical dominant older sibling dynamic. Most importantly, budding artists, those not only crazy for art but who have their eyes and heart open, will find a muse and a collaborator.-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City

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