Matt Novak Book Claude and Sun

Book Description
Warm color-splashed pictures with simple Impressionist-inspired patternings convey the magic of ordinary events, and the interconnected dance of a kindly man and nature, as Sun follows Claude, and Claude follows Sun, from early morning until day's end.
Reviews
FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Claude is a little old man whose best friend is the sun. When the sun rises in the morning, so does Claude. Together, day after day, they attend to the pleasures dependent on the sunlight, warmth, beauty and the growth of plant life. When the sun sets, Claude, too, settles in for the night. Novak's impressionistic style is sometimes attractive and appealing, though sometimes static. His art demonstrates a particular kinship with nature, as does the sweet, though slight, story. Ages 4-7.

FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

PreSchool-Grade 3 Claude and the sun are best friends. They grow sunflowers together, play hide and seek, find hidden treasures in the dark forest, and eventually go to sleep. Within this very simple storyline is a multi-faceted art lesson on French Impressionism. The illustrations are done in watercolors in the pointillist style made famous by Georges Seurat. The sun theme is reflected in Claude's large straw hat and repeated in the brilliant Van Gogh-like sunflowers sprinkled throughout the book. Claude, looking a great deal like an elderly Claude Monet, skips across a pond using lily pads like stepping stonesanother reference to Monet, who repeatedly painted the water lilies in his garden. Even Auguste Renoir is given a nod in an illustration showing an expanse of umbrellas, reminiscent of Renoir's The Umbrellas. The book's theme itself expresses the basic tenant of Impressionistic artthat light reflection off of an object creates what our eyes see. The book stands well on its own, the plot simple but childlike and joyous, and the illustrations mood evoking. However, the additional art history dimension offers the parent or teacher a springboard for discussing the artistic qualities of book illustration.Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Pub . Lib .