The Review is In :: Linnea in Monet's Garden

If you haven't read Linnea in Monet's Garden with your children, your family is missing out on a wonderful story about a little girl's journey to the garden of one of history's greatest artists.

First written in 1985 by Christina Bjork and illustrated by Lena Anderson, it has been re-released this 25th anniversary year in printed formats, as well as e-reader formats.

The story begins with Linnea dreaming of Monet's garden with her retired friend, Mr. Bloom, whom encourages Linnea in her art studies. The pair take a trip to Paris together and visit the little pink house where Monet and his family lived. She takes pictures of the famous Japanese bridge and of the variety of flowers amid the garden. She and Mr. Bloom discuss Monet's style of painting: impressionism, as well as his family's interesting dichotomy.

Amid the pages, the reader discovers modern pictures, Monet's art, black and white family photos, sketches, and lively original illustrations. Bjork discusses Monet's failing sight issues and even shows readers comparison views of his drawing as his sight failed.

At the end of the story, Bjork supplied the reader with a list of things to do in Paris including museums, gardens, and markets. She also left a timeline of Monet's life and his family tree, as it can be a little confusing.

What I found lovely was Bjork's use of reality in her story about Linnea. She spoke with Jean-Marie Toulgouat and Philippe Piguet, Monet's step-great-grandsons, whom shared the family photos shown in the story.

An all around wonderful story, but also a very informative biography; I highly recommend Linnea in Monet's Garden as part of this year's top reads.

Caution: There is a section in the story regarding Monet's family history. At one point, Monet lived with his second wife before they were married and before she had officially separated from her husband. I wanted to disclose this as it might offend or catch some parents off guard.

{Disclosure: This book was provided to me in digital format free of charge by the publishing company Sourcebooks.}