Product Description

At the art museum, while her grandmother dozes, Katie steps into the painting of the Mona Lisa and together they have adventures with the characters from four other well-known Renaissance paintings. Includes informationabout the artists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1007687 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-This is the fourth book in which Katie visits a museum with her grandmother. This time, while Grandma is resting, the little girl admires the Mona Lisa. She wonders aloud what it is that makes her smile. "Then come inside, bambina!" beckons the painted lady. When she does, Katie discovers that Mona Lisa is bored. Together they visit several other famous works from the Italian Renaissance, wreak havoc in the museum by letting characters out of their frames, and learn something about each painting. In the museum, Katie and her surroundings are sketched with plenty of white space around them, but each time she enters a painting, the entire two-page spread is completely colored in, adding depth and detail to the original piece of artwork. Raphael's St. George, Botticelli's dancers, Carpaccio's lion, and Leonardo's angel all spring to life. A page of brief information on the featured artists is appended. This fanciful tale is not particularly compelling but it may encourage children to use their imaginations when viewing fine art.
Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In Katie Meets the Impressionists , the incorrigible girl climbed in and out of several impressionist paintings. This time, while Grandma rests on a museum bench, Katie convinces a sad Mona Lisa to leave her portrait in order to regain her famous smile. Katie leads the lady to several other famous Italian Renaissance works. When they climb into Raphael's St. George and the Dragon, St. George abandons the princess to the dragon and devotes his attention solely to Mona Lisa. The two intruders next break up the dance in Botticelli's Primavera before being flown over Venice on the wings of Carpaccio's The Lion of St. Mark. Touching down in the museum gallery once again, they encounter the angry, displaced characters from the classic paintings; but an angel steps out of a painting by an unnamed student of Leonardo's to calm the scene and coax everyone back into their respective pictures. After such an exciting diversion, Mona Lisa once again can smile, and children will, too, at this entertaining, light-hearted introduction to serious works of art. Mayhew successfully mimics his subjects' style, creating another art appreciation adventure. Ellen Mandel

From Kirkus Reviews
Katie's back (Katie Meets the Impressionists, p. 148) this time to trip through the world of Renaissance paintings with her new friend, Mona Lisa. When Katie appears inside her painting, Mona Lisa admits she's lonely and starts to cry. Plucky Katie decides to give her a walking tour through the other paintings to cheer her friend up. The chivalrous hero of St. George and the Dragon is charmed by Mona Lisa's beauty, but a visit to Botticelli's Primavera angers the dancing muses, who chase the two new friends away. Eventually, the main character in The Lion of St. Mark and St. George's dragon lock claws in a fight on the museum floor, which involves the muses, St. George, an angel with a lute, and museum patrons. The fight tickles Mona Lisa's funny bone. Mayhew's drawings artfully combine classical reproductions with lively illustrations, in this more sobering trek through art than found in Bjorn Sortland's Anna's Art Adventure (p. 889) (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

A Captivating Introduction to Fine Art
I bought this book for my two year old daughter, and she loves it! The story itself is charming. As "Katie" steps into and out of various paintings in the art museum, she meets the people in the paintings. The author includes a little fact about each painting and/or artist within the text of the story. At the end of the story, the author gives more detailed information about every painting included in the book. The illustrations are also fabulous! Our whole family enjoys this book, and now our 2 year old recognizes the Mona Lisa when she sees "her."

Meet the Masters of the Italian Renissance
Katie is back visiting her favorite place, the art museum, with her Grandma. On this outing she stands in front of the picture of the Mona Lisa. "I wish I knew what is making you smile", she wonders. And with that, the Mona Lisa invites her into the painting. Katie steps over the frame and enters the world of the Italian Renaissance..... James Mayhew, author of Katie Meets the Impressionists, has written and illustrated another wonderfully inventive story, full of witty text and expressive artwork, that will transport youngsters back in time and send them on a very creative adventure. Poor Mona Lisa is sad and lonely, sitting in that chair without visitors for hundreds of years. So, Katie takes her "out" to meet new friends...They visit St. George from Raphael's St. George and the Dragon, dance with the beautiful women in Botticelli's Primavera and fly to Venice on Carpaccio's The Lion of St. Mark, causing a little trouble and leaving a bit of chaos in their wake. But fortunately, all is sorted out and put right in the end by the angel from da Vinci student's An Angel With a Lute. Katie and the Mona Lisa is an amusing and inspired story that will captivate children 4-8 with its magic and offers a terrific and imaginative introduction to the paintings of the Italian Renaissance.

Highly Recommended
Katie and the Mona Lisa is a truly excellent book. My 4 yr old daughter likes to both draw and read. This is ideal for our bedtime reading -- it engages her, helping to her develop her imagination and learn a bit about art. I'm looking forward to going to an art museum, where I intend to ask my daughter which painting she'd like to crawl into! I also can't wait to buy the others in the series. Honestly!