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If Picasso Painted a Snowman

“If someone asked you to paint a snowman, you would probably start with three white circles stacked one upon another. Then you would add black dots for eyes, an orange triangle for a nose, and a black dotted smile. But if Picasso painted a snowman….”

From that simple premise flows this delightful, whimsical, educational picture book that shows how the artist’s imagination can summon magic from a prosaic subject. Greg Newbold’s chameleon-like artistry shows us Roy Lichtenstein’s snow hero saving the day, Georgia O’Keefe’s snowman blooming in the desert, Claude Monet’s snowmen among haystacks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic snowman, Jackson Pollock’s snowman in ten thousand splats, Salvador Dali’s snowmen dripping like melty cheese, and snowmen as they might have been rendered by J. M. W. Turner, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Georges Seurat, Pablita Velarde, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Jacob Lawrence, and Vincent van Gogh. Our guide for this tour is a lively hamster who?also chameleon-like?sports a Dali mustache on one spread, a Van Gogh ear bandage on the next.

“What would your snowman look like?” the book asks, and then offers a page with a picture frame for a child to fill in. Backmatter thumbnail biographies of the artists complete this highly original tour of the creative imagination that will delight adults as well as children.

Fountas & Pinnell Level O

Full Color

Available wherever books are sold.

Review

“A range of art styles is explored in this picture book that invites readers to imagine how various artists would paint a snowman…The examples of the art mimic some of the artists’ famous paintings but incorporate imagined snowmen into them. For example, Dali’s “snowmen drip like melted cheese” in a double-page spread that emulates “The Persistence of Memory” with flattened, drooping snowmen rather than timepieces depicted on the surreal landscape…A closing spread with a blank easel nicely invites readers to copy it and make their own snowman painting. Endnotes provide further context about the artists…A playful introduction to various art movements…” – Kirkus
AMY NEWBOLD conceived this book while visiting the Musée Picasso in Paris. If she were to draw a snowman, she would probably start with three white circles stacked one upon another…or maybe just two.

Award-winning illustrator GREG NEWBOLD grew up drawing superheroes and Dr. Seuss characters on giant rolls of newsprint in his childhood basement. He once copied a Vincent van Gogh painting for his college art history class instead of writing a paper. Greg has created work for clients such as Kleenex, Fedex, Heinz, Smucker’s, and American Express as well as illustrating a dozen books for children, including The Barnyard Night Before Christmas, The Touch of the Master’s Hand, Winter Lullaby, and Spring Song. Greg lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Amy.
“Such a treat!” — Children’s Book Council

“Those interested in art are going to be thrilled.” — Librarian’s Quest

“The big, brightly colored original illustrations range from evocative to downright authentic-looking.” — Booklist

“An inviting introduction to a range of important painters.” — School Library Journal

“An engaging approach to fine art.” — Kirkus Reviews