The Art Collector

K-Gr 2—This quiet tale tells of a little boy's introduction to drawing and his maturation into a renowned art collector. Young Oscar first becomes enchanted with art when he is "very, very, very small" and observes his great-grandmother drawing a chicken. He tries his hand at drawing one, too, but is disappointed in the results. Great-Granny, however, congratulates him for his image done with chalk on black paper: "You have made a very fine picture of a snowstorm on a very dark night." At a flea market, the child purchases an old etching of a waterwheel. As he grows older, he collects more works of art in various styles until one day they fill a museum built especially to house them. Wahl's narrative lacks drama, but Oscar's story should appeal to sensitive children awakening to the glories of great art. Unnamed works in Oscar's collection pay homage to Japanese ukiyo-e, Mondrian, Pointillism, and so on. Bonnet's acrylic paint, pencil, and collage illustrations are as quiet as Wahl's writing—perhaps a missed opportunity to exploit the dramatic, emotional quality of Oscar's acquisitions—but not without a quirky charm. For example, Great-Granny stands out from the dress-wearing females in her cropped jeans and floral head scarf, and Oscar's mod parents are the picture of Parisian hipster style. A good choice to pair with a visit to the museum, this picture book will find a use in many collections.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI