‘’Where shall I start? How does an artist begin to make art?’’

Paris is a city forever linked with certain images in the minds of the citizens of the world. Le Chat Noir is one of the most recognizable. We see the beautiful, proud feline in posters, bags, notebooks, umbrellas, earring (...guilty of that…). We all admire its elegance of a bygone era. However, how many of us know the artist who produces some of the most characteristic images that represent the unique Parisian flair to perfection? This is a beautiful book on Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, the artist who loved cats and the ordinary people who called the City of Light their ‘’home’’. It is simple and elegant because it aims to familiarise children with one of the most particular European artists and it is mighty successful.

The Swiss-born French painter is one of the most well-known Art Nouveau artists and one of the first to depict the darker, realistic side of Montmartre. Faithful to the demands of the era, he painted landscapes and nudes but it is people and animals that inspired his work. Characters that seemed to have been sprung from the novels of Émile Zola became a favourite subject for an artist who had to work in a very tense and dark era during the Great War. This lovely book, written in rhyme, doesn’t touch on the details of Steinlein’s life but decides to refer to his love for cats, the masters of the animal kingdom. In beautiful, vivid, old-fashioned illustrations by Courtenay Fletcher, Antoinette discovers the secrets of an artist and its vision, guided by a very clever cat. 

Walk in the streets of Montmartre and let your eyes take in the unique atmosphere of a place filled with Art and life. Feel your heart breaking in front of Gaudeamus, dance in a dimly lit cabaret, drink with Toulouse- Lautrec, Erik Satie and Jane Anvil, but don’t disturb Maurice Ravel who is composing his immortal masterpiece, Bolero. 

A beautiful gift to the children of the world.

‘’This world is abounding with magic and mystery! Each thing has a past. Each place has a history! You can make the world better with music and art, if you keep your eyes open and follow your heart.’’

Many thanks to Inner Flower Child Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

A gorgeous book. Great use of language and rhymes both memorable and accessible. The biography of the artist is rendered in an easy to follow manner but includes the main details of the story, and also useful background information. 
The images are gorgeous, encapsulating well the story, Steinlen's art, and the atmosphere of the era. 
The final capsule-biography allows for a straightforward reading experience, and the activities will ensure children can enjoy the story in multiple ways and play together. 
A fantastic storybook.

This book was great. I loved the rhythm of the words (particularly the little bits with the rhyming french and english translations) and the art was gorgeous. My son is 1  so I was a little concerned he wouldn't be interested but it was the perfect length for an afternoon story and he was entranced the whole time. I fully plan on purchasing this when it comes out and requesting my local library does the same.

This is an extraordinarily charming book.  The illustrations are delightful and evocative.  The text is rhyming.  Young readers or listeners will learn about Steinlen, the artist who made the iconic Le Chat Noir posters.  He studied textiles but realized that fine art was his calling. Steinlen encountered many other famous artists during this exciting time in French art.

At the end of the book, there is additional biographical information on the artist.  There is also a section on objects that young readers can go back and search for in the text.

I enjoyed this lovely trip to France.  Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  All opinions are my own.

3.5
Was pretty good. More or less what was expected. Nice flow to it. I hope go see more from the author!

It was so great to see a book about Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen. I have had a Chat Noir poster for over a decade and I love it. The large black cat is a presence in our office, and it would not feel like the same space without it.

The book is a children’s book about a girl who is interested in a cat sculpture in an antique shop. Upon entering she learns about the famous artist from a cat that knew him.

This was a very cute way of telling the story, the modern little girl and the talking cat telling her about the artist. There were flashbacks and the text had a rhyming scheme that worked nicely. The illustrations included not only new images for this book but also replications of the artists work for the eyes of the younger readers.

It was very well done and I learned a lot about he artist that has had a place on my wall for over a decade. If your young one likes cats this book is full of them but it is also educational.

An inspiring and simple tale that is a must for kindergarten classrooms interested in garnering interest in reading through simple stories.

Great book! Lovely rhythm and pacing. Vibrant illustrations, loved how this book set up and introduced the story of Steinlen, through the little girl becoming fascinated with one of his sculptures.  Definitely a book I will introduce into the classroom... Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

A beautifully illustrated, rhyming story. Antoinette learns the history of Theophile Steinlen’s artwork from an antique store cat. 
Any parent wishing to expand their child’s knowledge of international artists would be wise to add this book to their home library.

Wonderful illustrations for this children's picture book, about a little girl in France being drawn to a cat sculpture in an antique store. The owner's cat knew the artist's story and why the artist loved to create all different kinds of cat art. This book had a wonderful message for children that everyone has a story to tell about their life.

This is a gorgeous picture book full of colourful, bold illustrations and rhyming lyrical text.

I wanted to read this based on the cover alone- I know it goes against the Don't Judge a Book by its cover adage but it is a lovely cover and I found myself drawn to the historical aspect of it as well.

Antoinette, travelling with her baguette, pops into Monsieur Arvieux's Antique shop after spotting something new in the window.  She has clearly visited before and listened to the stories about the items in the shop.  It is a wonderful shop full of treasures and charms from history.  "Each thing has a past, each place has a history", such a beautiful line from the story.  Antoinette sits down to listen to the tale of the cat statue and finds herself drawn into the history of France in the late 1800's when artists and musicians found Paris was the place to be.  Steinlin, a superb illustrator of everyday life, is always happiest when drawing cats.  He studies fabric design to earn money but always comes back to cats.  He realises his dream when he illustrates for a popular artist magazine and over time his work becomes historically recognisable, even today.

Monsieur Arvieux is a loveable grandfather type character who takes the time to care for the items in his shop and learn of their history and story.  He clearly loves to share their stories.  

I enjoyed learning more about Steinlin and I absolutely loved that it was told in rhyme and in picture book format.  It could become a wonderful series, in which we learn of other artists and musicians who came to Paris throughout history.  It is an excellent way to introduce art, artists and their lives and history to a younger generation.  

I was captivated by the book from start to finish.  The illustrations are simply gorgeous, full of bright bold colours and they really bring the story to life.  

One to read and enjoy over and over again.

I absolutely adored this book.  Written in a rhyming style for children, this picture book tells the story of Theophile Steinlen who was the famed artist of the French  “Chat Noir” posters.  The illustrations are wonderful!  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Telling the story of Theophile Alexandre Steinlen, the artist famous for his Chat Noir cat illustrations, this picture book will please young readers who love cats. A young girl sees a bronze cat in a shop, enters, and hears the story from the shop owner (and from the cat). I enjoyed the illustrations. A little more biographical information is presented after the main part of the picture book. I received an advance copy through NetGalley with the expectation I would write an honest review.

This is a decent picture-book biography, written in rhyming verse, about Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, an artist perhaps best well known for his Chat Noir posters.

The illustrations are cute and the rhyming verse works most of the time (although the meter is off in many places), but I don't feel like I really got a feel for who this guy was. An artist, yes. But aside from a few mentions of struggle, we don't see much about it, and so it's difficult to see why his story is "inspiring". There were many starving artists in Montmartre in the late 1800s, so I would've liked to know what made Steinlen unique. (Perhaps it was the fact that he lived in a house with his family and 56 cats. I really hope that number is an exaggeration.)

I'm not sure who this book is supposed to appeal to. It's not really about cats, despite what the cover might suggest. And as a biography of a historical figure, it's a little bit on the weak side. (At the end, we're shown drawings of famous historical figures that we were supposed to notice as we read through the book. I would've preferred to read more about them in the text, seeing their relationship to Steinlen, rather than just having them as "Where's Waldo?" set pieces.)

The premise is good, but I don't think the execution quite gets there. There's nothing really wrong with this little biography; I just wanted a bit more.

Cute story and wonderful artwork. I really liked this book. However, if you do not know French it might be a bit of a difficult read for children (and parents) here in the U.S. One suggestion is to include pronunciation help to the French words and names to help with correct pronunciation.

Wonderful story about Steinlen’s life (the artist behind le chat noir) with beautiful illustrations that fits perfectly with the artists story. Great story I love lechat noir it’s one of my favourites abc I never knew that much about the artist, great for adults and children 

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book is just so lovely and the illustrations are enhanced by rhythm of the rhyming text. It is a picture book biography of artist,  Theophile Steinlen. Steinlen is the  artist who created the iconic Le Chat Noir cabaret posters. This beautiful book celebrates art, and inspiration to follow your heart to achieve your personal dreams. 

This is a fun way to learn history, art, antiques and the life of an interesting artist.
While I don’t think it will be a book your patrons will clamor for, it does have a definite place in the biography/art collection for elementary and middle school children.

The audience for picture books concerning antique French poster designers must be small, but the charm of this one does make me hope it breaks that mould.  Nice rhythms and strong rhymes (apart from "crayon" and "man") help convey the story, which was very pleasantly told.  Vivid and active double-page spreads allow space for the story, so at most you get twelve lines of verse per page, and  the moral of having a regard for antique things and a curiosity that will make the world better through the resulting art is not forced upon us.  I hope the child heroine can go back to the fabled antiques store soon.  A strong four stars.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Inner Flower Child Books/Independent Book Publishers for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's fiction/biography.  Nicely done, the story welds information about the artist in a unique and compelling way.  Engaging  and beautiful graphics. 5 stars!!  I loved it.

This is an utterly beautiful book both linguistically (in the rhythm of the text) and visually (with the stunning images). It tells the store of Steinlen and the famous black cat as well as the process of his creating from childhood through to adulthood. It is a book which will be enjoyed by children and parents alike and I would highly, highly recommend it for all ages from 0 (as it has bright colours and a strong rhythm to the text) through to 10 years of age to stimulate their interest in creativity.