Beloved picture book author/illustrator Ruth Brown (Eye Spy) pays homage to 13 famous artists in her magnificent picture book A Gallery of Cats, in which she takes readers on an immersive and whimsical tour of an art gallery with a feline focus.
A boy is wandering alone in a museum. Large, framed paintings (rendered in acrylic and pen and ink) line the walls, each modeled after the work of a famous artist. At each piece's heart is a cat that Brown has cleverly inserted into the image. Next to each work is a description placard with hints about the artist represented. One painting, reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's abstract expressionist style, has a placard that reads, "JACKSON/ (American Wirehair)/ Adventurous and curious.../ but messy--/ often scattering the contents/ of his food bowl and litter tray." Jackson hops out of his painting and joins the boy on the walk through the gallery, as do several other cats. Edvard (Munch), who is "nervous/ and easily spooked," hisses at sky-blue and cloud-white "gentle dreamer" René (Magritte) when he joins the cat cavalcade. Jackson accompanies the boy from beginning to end, the spattered paint on Jackson's fur dripping on the floor, resulting in a paw-print trail.
Book illustrations are often children's first encounter with art, and Brown exposes them to a baker's dozen of the world's most celebrated artists. Brown is masterful in her tributes, and her strict design structure allows marvelous little visual gifts to emerge, like the torn left ear on scruffy-looking Vincent (Van Gogh). If Brown's goal is to make readers of all ages curious to learn more about great artists, she should consider this goal achieved, spectacularly. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor