Beloved British 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.
Readers are launched directly into the (quiet) action with a hushed "Wow!" A boy named Tom, who is visiting the museum with his grandmother, wanders alone in a side corridor. Large, framed paintings (rendered in acrylic and pen and ink) line the walls, each modeled after the work of famous artists like Gustav Klimt, Frida Kahlo, and Katsushika Hokusai. Each piece's heart, however, is a cat that Brown has cleverly inserted into the image. Readers see Tom from behind as he moves through the gallery, arms akimbo or hands in pockets, appreciating the art. Next to each work is a description placard; almost poetic in form, the text hints at 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/ all over the floor." Jackson hops out of his painting and joins Tom on the walk through the gallery, leaving a white cat shape at the bottom of the painting. 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, the first cat to leap into the real world, accompanies Tom from beginning to end; the spattered paint patterns on Jackson's fur drip on the floor, resulting in both a paw-print trail and an almost-white cat.
Book illustrations are often children's first encounter with art, so exposing them to a baker's dozen of the world's most celebrated artists can be seen as a natural extension of the form. Brown is masterful in her tributes and her strict design structure--Tom on the left side, paintings on the right--allows marvelous little visual gifts to emerge, like the torn left ear on scruffy-looking Vincent (Van Gogh) or the cats scrambling to get back into their paintings at the surprise ending. 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
Shelf Talker: A splendidly designed picture book pays tribute to 13 great artists, fancifully incorporating cats into reproductions of familiar paintings.