Philippe in Monet's Garden

by Lisa Jobe Carmack

"Explore Monet's garden along with Philippe (a frog), and let him be your child's guide into Claude Monet's world of Impressionism."

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens

36 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids dig it and so do I

[Corinne Reuter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a child and absolutely loved it. The story is about Philippe the frog and his journey to freedom as he escapes the net of frog catchers. He travels through France, meeting friends along the way until he reaches his destination of Monets Garden (a famous French artist). This picture book is great not only for young readers but for adults as well because it keeps you entertained throughout the story with beautiful illustrations and rhythmic lines. I highly recommend reading this fun story.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose and Charlotte are pretty sure that this is a book about Santa Claus. (Handmedown gift from Sue, Nic, & Kayte.)

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The picturebook "Philippe In Monet's Garden" by Lisa Jobe Carmack and Lisa Canney Chesaux tells the tale of Philippe, a frog, who escapes the hands of hunting chefs and finds refuge in the garden of Claude Monet. Though the story may not contain a gripping storyline nor a plethora of facts about Monet himself, it is still an effective way to introduce the famous artist and his art style, especially to younger readers. The conflict between the Philippe and the chefs (who are hunting for frog's legs) is just intense enough to generate interest in the story without being so distracting as to take attention away from Monet. Also, Monet, while present, is not described too much (until the last page where a list of facts are found), which lets the teacher or parent (or explorative student) be open to learning more without too much pre-existent information. All-in-all, the book serves its purpose of introducing Monet rather well.

The illustrations are of particular note. For the first half of the book, they are of a unique cartoon style, characterized by bold, uneven outlines with simple watercolor filllings. Later in the book, as Philippe enters Monet's garden, we are introduced to Monet's actual style, characterized by his swift, thick strokes. We know it as impressionistic. Now, normally, the one would not consider the two styles to be similar, yet, we see that they are as Monet enters the reader's view. He is portrayed using a mixture of the styles, both with the short, quick paint strokes and the strong, uneven, outlines. The two styles work surprisingly well, with the outlines complementing the impressionistic strokes. This is significant for the readers because they may begin to recognize the differences and similarities in art styles. Chesaux's juxtaposition and combination of the styles highlights their properties, and allows for easier analysis (which really helps when teaching these topics). I would certainly approve of using "Philippe in Monet's Garden" as an introduction to Monet's style of art.

Complementing the stellar illustrations are the rhythmic, rhyming, and fun lines of text produced by Carmack. With lines like "In the city of Paris, as everyone knows, frog legs are eaten, except for the toes", she produces a four-part rythm that is fun to read and to listen to. There are some tricky parts, so if you want to use the book as a read-aloud, you should prepare yourself first, but, for the most part, the rhythm comes intuitively. The word choice helps with the fun as well. On the second page, Carmack masterfully uses alliteration to make the sentence fun: "They are buttered and baked, and sometimes fried, and the bigger the better is always the guide". All in all, the literary devices employed by Carmack make the book fun to read, something important if one wants to avoid boreing students.

I really enjoyed this book, and I appreciate the way that Chesaux and Carmack work together to introduce one of the greatest artists known to history.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We had fun reading this rhyming story about a frog who manages to avoid becoming part of the dinner menu. It is an odd way to introduce the art of Claude Monet, but the second half of the story focuses on his paintings and gardens in France. We enjoyed reading this story together.

[Rosanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book about a frog who is saved from becoming frog legs by jumping into Monet's Garden. I bought this book because it is a little difficult to get from a library.