Um rapaz chamado Giotto

by Paolo Guarnieri, Bimba Landmann

"In the pasture, instead of keeping watch over the flock, Giotto spends his time sketching." He may not be much of a shepherd, but this talented 8-year-old boy doesn't have to remain one for long; after timidly introducing himself to the painter Cimabue, he becomes the Florentine painter's protégé--and before long Cimabue looks at Giotto's work and thinks, "the pupil has outdone the master." The present tense lends immense vitality to this simple exercise in biography, written by Italian art critic Paolo Guarnieri and translated by Jonathan Galassi. The lively, immediate story is perfectly matched by the stunning paintings of Guarnieri's wife, Bimba Landmann, which imitate the style of the great pre-Renaissance master while maintaining their own absolutely modern flavor. Children who find themselves absorbed in drawing, music, or any project other than the one at hand will find young Giotto's story inspirational. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1998 by Edizioni Arka, Milano. With permission of the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.) (Ages 7 and older) --Richard Farr

Genres: Art, Picture Books, Nonfiction, School, Childrens, Graphic Novels, Italian Literature

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guarnieri seems to be adapting Vasari's sketched biography of Giotto's childhood, for which there is very little evidence. I'm not sure why he made this choice, rather than focusing on later accompishments for which there is evidence.

I like Landmann's illustration style, although to me it has a completely different feel from Giotto's, even when she emulates the medieval landscape technique.

I would recommend this more a historical fiction picture book than as an actual biography of a painter or an introduction to the work of this important artist.

[Monique]

Read again in preparation for studying Giotto's art this school year.

[Maria Portela · Rating 4 out of 5]

EN/PT

A very brief introduction to the life of Giotto. It's a shame that this book has quite an uneventful story.

The best part is the illustrations that bring this book to life - quite a unique illustration style with gold details that are a great touch. The dark color palette made up of mainly brown and terracotta tones, might be a little bit of a turn off to some children, but it's certainly a beautiful piece of art that they eventually will appreciate.

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Uma breve introdução à vida de Giotto. É uma pena que este livro tenha uma história sem grandes acontecimentos.

A melhor parte são as ilustrações que dão vida a este livro - um estilo de ilustração único, com detalhes dourados que são um ótimo toque. A paleta de cores escuras, composta principalmente por tons de castanho e terracota, pode ser um pouco apelativa para algumas crianças, mas certamente é uma bela obra de arte que elas eventualmente apreciarão.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous for use with a pre-renaissance art or history lesson!!! Love that there is a picture book telling the story of how Giotto mat have met his teacher, Cimabue. Books like this are so really few and far between.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book in the characteristic Icon style. Accurate. Good intro to making pigments for fresco buono. The only problem is that you will not see any pictures of Giotto's real frescoes in this book.

[Nevada Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

giotto is amazing boy.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the things you trip across in the children's section of the library. This beautifully done book is an excellent way to introduce a young person to the art of that era and the story of how Giotto's dream to draw and paint is noticed by his mentor Cimabue. I am sure that the children will point out the odd settings of the heads and the floating feet which will give great conversation and ...maybe some looks at other painters of that time period. Anyway, the book is a treasure in encouraging children to not give up on their dreams and talents.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter was interested in the historical details of the book and found the process of missing paint quite fascinating. But, the story itself was rather uneventful and we would have appreciated more historical information. This book would have benefited from an author's note (but perhaps that is a translation issue).

[Emily Sefcheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd-6th grade
Genre: Historical Fiction

This sweet tale offers a brief introduction to some unique history around the world. The story and plot are fun and give readers and insight into what life was like in Europe at this time.

[João Teixeira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonitas ilustrações. Uma história imaginada sobre o que terá sido a infância de Giotto. Livro interessante para dar a conhecer aos mais novos figuras importantes da história da Arte universal.

[Holle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's book was a random find for me while shelving, and tells the beginning of the story of the Renaissance painter Giotto. He is a poor shepherd boy who likes to draw and is found by the famous artist Cimabue, who helps him learn how to paint and get the colors he needs to create his realistic artwork. The art in the book I liked, though I couldn't quite place where it was from, until I read this NY Times article(http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/03/12...), which sums it up: "The book's rich, gilded illustrations evoke the Byzantine style that preceded Giotto, while suggesting as well the more subtle colors and the emotional intensity for which he later became famous." My main problem with the book is that just as it was getting interesting, the book abruptly stops the story. I think it should've gone into more detail about his work, or maybe given resources for the child to explore Giotto's life further.

[Erin Cupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for a read-aloud because I'm an art history nerd (not a geek, just a nerd), and I wanted to introduce her to "Giotto Eyes." The illustrations were a lovely homage to Giotto's style without being copycats. The story itself was a little predictable (mean dad doesn't want son to be an artist but Obi-Wan Cimabue comes along and calls forth the prodigy etc etc). Still, it was a nice little story and a great way to introduce young eyes to Florentine frescoes.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful work of historical fiction describing how Giotto, renowned pre-Renaissance artist, may have been discovered by his future mentor. This is a wonderful resource for any parent or educator encouraging a love of art and artists. The illustrations are lovely and go perfectly with the text as well as the style of painting that Giotto is known for.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The girls LOVED this story. My only complaint was that it wasn't longer. The book tells the story of Giotto as a boy...and just that. Just as he is becoming accomplished in his own right, the story stops. Would have loved it went on to tell more about his life and works and accomplishments.

[Kami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really could be a three star, but I knocked off a star for the illustrations. Totally a personal taste issue, they just weren't my favorite.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little historical note at the end would have been appreciated.

[Shaber]

This is a great book