Almost Famous Daisy!

From Publishers Weekly Splashy visuals that play off of famous paintings give this book a strong surface appeal, but undeveloped themes and a host of tangents muddy the text. An art competition to paint "your favorite things" sends Daisy and her dog Duggie off in search of inspiration, and they speed, seemingly arbitrarily, through St. Remy, Rouen, Vitebsk, Tahiti and New York, soaking up atmosphere and rubbing shoulders with Van Gogh, Monet, Chagall, Gauguin and Pollock. Kidd's vivid illustrations ingeniously blend painting and collage to simulate the artists' styles and highlight the modern interlopers' adventures; Daisy's postcards home show the original images. Although subtle visual jokes abound as Daisy and Duggie wend their black-and-white way through the exotic settings, the wit seems aimed principally at adults and the narrative logic is elusive. For recent books that spoof art in a more cohesive and child-friendly fashion, see Thacher Hurd's Art Dog (Children's Forecasts, Dec. 19, 1995) or Mary Jane Auch's Eggs Mark the Spot (Feb. 12). Ages 4-8. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2?Almost Famous Daisy is almost a good book...but not quite. It's a nice concept: a young painter sees an advertisement for an art contest, travels the world studying with famous painters (how this is accomplished is never explained, and is a bit distracting), and paints her own winning canvas. However, the lack of a coherent story line or a sympathetic, believable character leaves readers unconcerned about whether Daisy wins, loses, or moves to Timbuktu. The illustrations on some pages resemble an ink spill (but not when she visits Jackson Pollack, which is actually the best spread in the book) and the garish color scheme is jarring. The story is regrettably anticlimactic, visually confusing, and flatly told through a series of postcards from Daisy to her parents. It's an unfortunate outcome for the noteworthy concept of introducing children to some of the masters of Western art.?Jennifer Fleming, Boston Public LibraryCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.