Monsieur Monet

Peintre-Jardinier

This delightful book introduces the much loved impressionist painter and his extraordinary garden to children.

In the wonderful garden he designed in Giverny, Claude Monet (1840–1926) planted masses of irises, poppies, sweet peas, and of course the famous water lilies, which took pride of place on his huge canvases. The book is sure to delight children and is a perfect introduction to the great painter’s art. It opens with Monet arriving in his garden, then turns to the Japanese prints that inspired him and presents the famous figures of the period who were his friends. Children will discover that Monet painted his huge pictures outdoors, whatever the weather, at the same time learning all about the gardeners at Giverny, who had to leave the garden they loved in order to fight in World War I. Notes on the garden, illustrated with original drawings by Giancarlo Ascari and Pia Valentinis, accompany each double-page spread. Taking their cue from the famous painter’s work, the two co-authors manage to bring his œuvre to life in their own way, entering an imaginative dimension that is as unconventional as it is extraordinary. This is the ideal first book to help children discover Monet, his life and work through the famous garden that was the source of his inspiration.

Giancarlo Ascari is the author of the graphic novel L’arte del complotto (2015), the utopian cartoon strip Sarà una bella società (2012), as well as La Faute à 68 (2008) and Love Stores (2005), all graphic novels translated into French. Giancarlo Ascari and Pia Valentinis are at present working on a children’s book on the topic of food titled Yum due to be published in the spring of 2015.
Pia Valentinis won the best illustrator prize at the 21st edition of the prestigious Premio Andersen children’s literature prize awarded in Italy. Raccontare gli alberi (2012), co-written with Mauro Evangelista, won the 2012 prize for the best popularisation.