The Starry Night

by Neil Waldman

On a summer day in Central Park, a boy meets a man named Vincent. He is a painter, and the picture on his old wooden easel shows the park's daffodils in all their yellow splendor. The painting captures the boy's imagination. Soon Vincent and the boy are exploring Manhattan, from Battery Park to Harlem, from Fifth Avenue to Greenwich Village. Vincent paints the city in bright and beautiful colors. Then one day he takes the boy to a museum. He leads him to a painting of a country village. No sooner does the boy recognize the painting as one of Vincent's than his friend disappears. But Vincent has left the boy a gift: the desire to paint a picture. Neil Waldman's special book, featuring stunning Van Gogh-inspired paintings of Manhattan, speaks to that part of a child that knows no limits—the imagination.

Genres: Art, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Neil Waldman's paintings and prints are included in many prestigious collections around the world. His oils, acrylics and watercolors may be seen in the capital buildings of more than a dozen nations, and in numerous major corporations.

.....His works have garnered many awards and honours. Notable among these is a gold medal from the United Nations in a closed international competition in which Waldman was chosen to represent the United States. The world body selected his entry as the official poster for the International Year of Peace. Today it hangs in the halls of the U. N. General Assembly.

.....Waldman was commissioned by the American Brands Corporation to paint the portraits of twenty famous Americans for their centennial exhibition "The American Achievers". This collection traveled to museums, galleries and exhibit halls around the country, and was eventually published in a book of the same name. Waldman has designed postage stamps for thirteen nations, written and illustrated more than fifty books for young people, and won the Christopher Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Parents Choice Award, the American Library Association Notable Award, and a host of others. In addition, he has illustrated the covers of seven Newbery Award winners.

.....In the Summer of 2006, Waldman created the Fred Dolan Art Academy in the Bronx, along with his long-time friend, Marc Broxmeyer. The Academy's purpose is to provide motivated Bronx teenagers with the skills necessary in the development of portfolios for entry into art college. To date, twenty-one students have graduated from the academy, all twenty-one going on to college with scholarships.

Reviews

[Jeimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this picture book which imagines what would happen if van Gogh painted New York City and its boroughs.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An African American boy from New York City meets Vincent Van Gogh in Central Park and the two of them set off across the city painting the NY sights. After a while, Vincent must leave, but first he takes Bernard to the art museum where he falls in love with art and is inspired to draw.

A fun book that makes an art legend accessible. Several of Van Gogh's more famous drawings are recreated in the book as well as pictures of New York in his artistic style.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernard, a young boy, meets Vincent Van Gogh in Central Park and they spend time together touring New York. Vincent stops to paint many of the sights. One day, they visit a museum and Bernard notices Vincent's work on display but Vincent has disappeared...but only his person, his spirit seems to pass on to Bernard because now he is inspired to paint.

I loved this story, the author's note, and especially the artwork (some from the author and others from his young students). Fun book!

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter is a big fan of Van Gogh. This book was just not for her, however. The images of NYC in the style of VanGogh, combined with the fantastical story of the artist in present-day New York just didn't work for my child. An interesting premise, but not for this reader.

[Travis Unterseher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief Review:
As I was reading The Starry Night it became apparent that the author was a very huge fan of Vincent Van Gogh. So much so that he wrote a fictional book about Von Gogh coming to the U.S. and painting in New York City. The authors note at the beginning of the book is great it explains the book and how the author came about writing the book and how the book was used in his own classroom in a way.

Content Area:
This book could be used in the Art content area. This book is filled with artwork that is very similar in style to Von Gogh's work. This could be shown to Art students how a master's artwork (Von Gogh's) is still used in present day to teach art lessons to students. I would have each student find a picture of their favorite artist, then assign them to attempt to copy the work using the same styles, materials, and techniques that the original artist did.

Comprehension Questions:

Q: When through out this book, could you tell that Vincent was not real and why?
A: The first thing I noticed was Von Gogh never came to the U.S. and never painted New York City. The second thing that tipped me off he was imaginary was when Vincent and Bernard went to The Museum of Modern Art, this is a modern time museum that was not around when Von Gogh was alive.

Q: Did this book give you any ideas about art or encourage you to want to draw or paint?
A: Yes this book intrigued me and made me think about trying to paint like an artist I know of.
No, I have never really liked drawing or painting but it was an interesting book that others might really enjoy.

Student Wonders:

Who is Vincent Von Gogh?
When did he live?
Why are his paintings that way?
Was this book a true story?

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Starry Night by Neil Waldman presents a picture book fantasy about art, imagination and creativity, as Vincent Van Gogh befriends a boy in New York City.

Waldman's illustrations, in the style of Vincent Van Gogh, are done in oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, and pen and ink on paper. Several sketches of famous paintings by Van Gogh are shown on the wall at MOMA. The color paintings are bright and appealing. Artwork by children appears on the final page and the endpapers. My favorite images are endpapers, Vincent & brushes, Statue, Times Square, Chrysler Building, Flatiron Building, and Starry Night.

Waldman's text is arranged at times like poetry. In an author's note at the beginning of the book, Waldman gives background about Vincent Van Gogh, how he inspired the author, and the art of children from an art class whose work appears on the endpapers and the final page. The messages about inspiration, imagination, and creativity in art are effectively delivered. I was impressed with the book.

For ages 4.5 to 8, art, painting, Vincent Van Gogh, imagination, New York City, fantasy, creativity, and fans of Neil Waldman.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work of historical fiction is clearly from that of an art lover. Neil Walkman imagines running into Vincent Van Gogh in New York's Central Park and spends the day following him from place to place around the city creating stunning paintings. Often times in Art I have my daughter create a piece inspired by the artist instead of simply attempting to replicate their work - this is a wonderful example of how to do that.

[JoanVictoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book is interesting and unique. Waldman's New York paintings in the style of Van Gogh are well done and capture the bright/vibrant colors that Van Gogh was so fond of. My favorite illustrations are the Statue of Liberty, The Brooklyn Bridge, and the kid's recreations of A Starry Night found at the beginning and ending of the book.

[Turrean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice followup to a unit on Van Gogh. It's definitely for kids who are familiar with Van Gogh--younger kids will not get understand that this is a flight of fancy. Older kids will be itching to get their hands on some art supplies.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good picture book in which young boy meets Van Gogh in Central Park. Shows how art can help us see things in different and striking ways. Nice illustration style of both the story and the paintings. Nice inclusion of boy's own painting at end.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young boy's eyes are opened to art after spending a day with VanGogh. Illustrations are beautiful, as would be expected.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

the culamative adventure of a young boy who in his imagination brings van gogh to america to pay new york city

[Tayler K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this as I was shelving books at the library today and stopped to read it when I noticed the van Gogh theme. It was neat.

[Rida · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit of sweetness in Van Gogh's Life. =D

[Marjorie Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to Vincent Van Gogh's work and style of painting. It will make children want to see his work.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

How the works of Vincent Van Gogh inspire a young man from NYC.