The Noisy Paintbox by Barb Rosenstock-ADVISABLE

Rosenstock, Barb, ill. by Mary Grandpré, The Noisy Paint Box. Knopf Books, 2014. $17.99. PICTURE BOOK.

Vasya Kadinsky was a great painter. How did he become that way. He was a well-behaved boy. He sat up straight, he practiced his piano scales, and was quiet and perfectly polite. Until the day his aunt gave him a paintbox. When he painted with the paintbox, he could hear in his mind the sound of the music the colors played. The pictures he created, though, were not considered how one was supposed to paint. His parents sent him to art classes and, for a time, he lost his love of art. Instead he became a lawyer, but, alas the paints began calling again. He studied thereafter under some of the greatest painters, but he wasn’t happy with the way they made him paint, either. Finally, one day his friends got tired of painting the standard way too and they encouraged him to show the how to paint like he did. The rest was history.

The illustrations are beautifully done, the text is unique in its style and context. The two together are well-complemented and do a great job of engaging the reader while still keeping the text simple enough to understand. Included are some additional resources to look at and an author’s note to help teachers to be able to use this book with the common core. A great addition to any art book collection. EL. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.