Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature

by Margriet Ruurs, Margriet Ruurs

Celebrated artist Robert Bateman is renowned internationally for bringing the natural  world to life on the canvas. A naturalist and painter from his youth, Robert has for decades used his recognition to shed light on environmental issues and advocate for animal welfare.

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature is the story of how a young child achieved his dream of painting the world around him and became one of Canada's most famous artists.

Using Robert's own personal photographs, sketches and artwork, author Margriet Ruurs weaves a simple story of inspiration and encouragement. A story to motivate all the budding artists and naturalists in your life, with proceeds benefiting The Bateman Foundation.

Genres: Biography, Art, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Nature, Canada, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published November 13, 2018

About the author

Margriet Ruurs is the author of more than 40 children's books, many of them award winners.
Margriet lives on Salt Spring Island where she runs BETWEEN THE COVERS, a booklovers' B & B (see: http://www.betweenthecoversbandb.com/)
She writes regular book reviews of YA and picturebooks here: http://margrietruurs.blogspot.ca/

Margriet visits schools around the world to conduct dynamic author presentations, slideshows of the writing process and poetry writing workshops for students and teachers. She also speaks at many literary conferences each year.
Margriet has a Master of Education degree from Simon Fraser University.

She also conducts school talks via Skype.

For more details visit her website and blog: www.margrietruurs.com
Join her Facebook Fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Margrie...

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings accompanied by sketches or photographs tell a story of Robert Bateman's inspirations and development as an artist. The paintings are almost photo-realistic and beautiful, conveying the movement and vitality of the creatures and individuals portrayed by Bateman.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bateman's paintings are beautiful. The story is engaging enough, though I kind of wanted more information -- it's fairly sparse. Still, my children seemed captivated by the artwork when I read this to them this morning. Later in the day, we saw a bird on the fence and my oldest son said, "I guess if I was Bob, I'd go paint that right now!" ;-) So, if it made an impression on him, I'm happy.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book about Robert Bateman, Canadian painter, naturalist, and conservationist, even though I'd never heard of him before reading it. The best part is the artwork -- the book includes several of his paintings of animals, natural sights, and people exploring, and they're beautifully realistic. Some of them I could hardly believe weren't photographs at first glance.

The text is fairly spare and straightforward, and focuses on his observations and growth as a painter -- in many cases it simply names different things that he painted, so this book would work well for young children with short attention spans, though the artwork should appeal to all ages. At the end there's a longer biography of Bateman's life and work.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely biography of Canadian born Robert Bateman, a very famous artist, who paints the natural world around him. His paintings are so realistic that they look like actual photographs. He is gifted beyond measure. From a little boy he loves to observe nature, study its shapes, textures and colours and then reproduce his findings in his sketch book and then onto canvas.

He uses his extraordinary talents to promote environmental issues and to highlight the wonder and splendor of our Mother Earth. The storyline is simple and the artwork throughout is outstanding. The book encourages the reader to open his eyes and connect with his surroundings. The book inspires readers to get involved and protect our cosmos to their utmost ability. Bateman's paintings are a true celebration of our magnificent planet that we call home. The author includes a more detailed biography of Bateman's life at the back of the book for those desiring to know more about his artistic genius and his advocation for all things natural. I highly recommend this book.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature by Margriet Ruurs, illustrated by Robert Bateman. NON-FICTION/PICTURE BOOK Orca Books, 2018. $30. 9781459819924

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In this biography, the paintings of Robert Bateman are interspersed with his paintings of nature. The book starts with Robert’s childhood and his innate love of nature and the world around him. As Robert grew older, he started to study and learn the names of plants and animals and tried different art forms. He has traveled the world and advocates for environmental protection of nature and wildlife and brings attention to the world’s beauty through his paintings.

The main attraction of this picture book is Robert Bateman’s paintings. They are beautiful and as detailed as a photograph. I also enjoyed the story of Robert’s life and his love of the world. This is great for art classes, art lovers and those who love nature.

Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Carol Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature, (Orca Books, 2018) is a wonderful tribute to one of Canada's most famous artists. Both the text and illustrations are beautiful; I had a hard time selecting which illustrations to accompany this blog. Hopefully the pictures and short snippets of text will pique your interest; the animals I've named in the review are accompanied by magnificent illustrations.

From a youth, Mr. Bateman loved the outdoors and was "in awe of nature." He investigated fields and animals; birds and plants.

"In school he spent a lot of time staring out the window. He dreamed of traveling so he could see more wildlife, from whales to wrens."

Not only did Mr. Bateman "paint the shapes and patterns of the world around him," but he also carved wooden birds and noticed "details of feathers and form."

And painted owls, penguins, polar bears, and lions in their habitats.

Towards the end of the book, there is a lovely illustration of Mr. Bateman walking through a field with his grandchildren. The text reads:
Now Robert walks the forest with his grandchildren. He shows them the shape of a leaf, the texture of bark. He tells them to pay attention to the details of nature around them.
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature will be enjoyed by grandparents, parents, K-3 teachers, and of course--young readers themselves. Hopefully the text and illustrations will encourage our next generation to appreciate nature as Mr. Bateman did as a child.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature is a beautiful biography, geared to children but could be read by anyone. It tells the story of the famous Canadian artist beginning as a young boy who fell in love with the natural world surrounding him. He loved to observe nature, study its shapes, textures and colours and then reproduce what he say in his sketchbook, and finally painting it. His paintings are so realistic that they look like actual photographs. The illustrations are all photographs of his sketches and paintings, which gave a personal touch to the story. I loved that they showed him passing on his love of nature to his children and grandchildren. This would be a wonderful book to introduce a Canadian Artist to a class, as well as a unit on sketching and painting nature. A beautiful book. The publisher, Orca Book Publishers, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.

[Charlotte Glaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a child, there was a book in our house of Robert Bateman paintings. I remember looking through that book and loving all the animals and birds. I had completely forgotten about Bateman's art until I cam across this book at our library and checked it out.

A well written biography for kids, with more in-depth information in the back matter, the real star of this book is of course Bateman's awe-inspiring paintings. I absolutely felt like I was there, watching Orcas, or bears, or elephants. His paintings are so realistic, yet so magical. He is a singularly talented artist, and I think it worthwhile to pick up this book and experience some of that wonder.

[Annie Dee Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature tells the story of a young Canadian boy who fell in love with the natural world surrounding him. That fueled his other interest: painting, and a beautiful marriage was formed. Although a picture book, the language is rich, and pairs well with the beautiful paintings of the book's namesake. I loved that the photographs of Mr. Bateman were also included. They gave a personal touch and only enhanced the story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orca Book Publishing for an Advanced Copy of this Book
Member of #LitReviewCrew

[Mala Ashok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful book about Robert Bateman and his paintings is for everyone - child or adult. Margaret Ruurs tells Robert's story in easy language and Robert Bateman's illustrations are of course wonderful. No one reading the book can be unimpressed by this call to the wild. The book illustrates the magic of nature as portrayed by Bateman.

[Brooklyn || The Wild Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read & evaluated this book for the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable (VCLR)'s 2019 Information Book Award.

Obviously, the artwork through the book is all Bateman's and is quite beautiful. That being said, I didn't find anything in this book that felt special. It lacked a bit of wow-factor.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no doubt that a gallery experience in which we could view the full original art of Robert Bateman would be a breathtaking experience, but this book feels like the next best thing. The reproduction quality of his art is the highest level (paper quality, color, trim size) but it is also enriched by the family photo inserts, the sequencing of art images, and the lyrical but compellingly low key language of author/biographer Margaret Ruurs.
The images included here reveal how Bateman worked to engage the audience with the essence of each animal's nature, relationships, individuality, and gravitas within the greater family of life on Earth.
The autobiographical content mirrors qualities in the art: spare intensity, meaningful detail, and curiosity-sparking scene-setting. I was aware of, and appreciated, Bateman's art bef ore enjoying this book, but now I want to learn more and explore his art more intentionally. That is a lovely accomplishment for an autobiographic picture book.

[Jessica Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Bateman studied wildlife. He brought animals to life for people who would never see them in the natural world. He traveled the Earth to study lions, birds, bears, and squirrels. He sold prints so that everyone could see his work - not just those who could afford an original painting.

[Debra Schoenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children's book dedicated to the life and art of Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman. A must for all Canadian schools.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential book for kids (and collectors) on introducing Robert Bateman's works and life ethos.

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning artwork and a beautiful story.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story and beautiful illustrations.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning, lifelike art.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful picture book. It tells the story of Robert Bateman’s life and is illustrated with his artwork. I loved it!

[Vjera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely artwork.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artist's journey. Portraits of nature. Wordless, breathless.