Miró's Magic Animals
by Antony Penrose (Author)
A unique look at the work of a great artist as seen through the eyes of a child.
As might be expected of the son of photographer Lee Miller and writer Roland Penrose, Antony Penrose's childhood was populated with some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. Miró's Magic Animals is a delightful story, chronicling Antony "Tony"'s encounters with the great Spanish artist Joan Miró.
Tony introduces Miró as a quiet, kind, and smartly dressed man who "dreamed when he was awake" and painted wonderfully strange worlds filled with magical animals. The book brings Tony's memories to life with beautiful reproductions of some of Miró's finest works, as well as evocative archival photography by Lee Miller and specially commissioned artworks in the style of Miró, painted by children.
We see the renowned painter from a new perspective, as the slightly eccentric visitor to Tony's childhood home, during an excursion to Miró's farm--filled with extraordinary creatures--and on a trip to London Zoo, during which Miró asked to see "large birds, snakes, and strange creatures of the night."
Vibrant design and playful typography make the package as appealing as the story, and round out the feeling that we're immersed in Tony's adventure.
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--A charming narrative about the surrealist painter Joan Miro, from the perspective of the author as a young boy. (The author is the son of Roland Penrose and Lee Miller, artists and friends of Miro.) Penrose recalls Miro's visits to the Penrose farm in Sussex, England, and the delight with which Miro quietly observed the world around him. The narrative oscillates between relating Miro's paintings to everyday farm objects and animals and recalling his life in Spain and visits to the zoo in London. The text questions readers about what they see in the paintings but also implores them to find "imagination and magic" in everything they look at. Photographs, many taken by Miller; reproductions of Miro's work; and specially commissioned drawings by real children complement and support one another and the writing. Readers gain an understanding of what the artist looked like, how he worked, and the animals he looked at to make his work. Throughout the book, a peppering of children's illustrations, drawn in a Miro-like way, support the idea of embracing the unusual and wondrous. VERDICT This title makes Miro's work feel as though it were created just to delight the imagination of children; a general purchase for collections looking to expand their artist biographies selections.--Jessica Cline, New York Public Library
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Hornbook
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Mirao, Joan
Penrose, Antony
Miaro, Joan
