Linnea in Monet's Garden

LINNEA IN MONET'S GARDEN is a wonderful book about the art of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. First published in the United States in 1987, it was a popular children's book that spawned Linnea dolls and a charming animated film version of this story. The book has been out of print in recent years, but was picked up by Sourcebooks for this 25th anniversary edition. It tells the story of a little girl, Linnea, who travels to Paris with her older, white-haired neighbor Mr. Bloom (presumably from Sweden, where the book was originally published in Swedish, but it's never mentioned). Together they take the train to Giverney and tour Monet's home and gardens -- twice, meeting Monet's great-grandosn the second time. Narrated by Linnea, with the enthusiasm and simple perspective of a kid who looks to be between 6 and 9 years old, the book is packed with solid art history and biographical information about the artist and his work, as well as black-and-white archival photos of Monet, color photos of his gardens, pond, Japanese Bridge, and water lillies, full-color reproductions and details of several Monet paintings, and appealing watercolor illustrations of Linnea and Mr. Bloom soaking it all in.