Module 12: The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (2016)  The fantastic jungles
of Henri Rousseau. Retrieved from http://www.eerdmans.com/
Content/Site146/ProductImages/9780802853646.jpg

Book Summary: Henri is a Frenchman who loves painting. However, he is too poor to take art lessons, so he teaches himself and shows his paintings in independent exhibitions where the critics say mean things. However, Henri doesn’t give up, even when he can barely feed himself and even when the critics keep saying mean things at each of his exhibitions, year after year. More than twenty years later, when Henri is an old man, the critics finally start to notice his remarkable paintings. And, while Henri died poor and mostly unknown, his paintings --mainly of jungle scenes-- are revered today.

APA Reference:

Markel, M. (2012). The fantastic jungles of Henri Rousseau. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Impressions: I love how the illustrator, Amanda Hall, mimicked Rousseau’s style in the illustrations! Additionally, Markel does a good job crafting the this partial biography of Rousseau’s life in regards to his art. I do wish, however, that there had been a bibliography to add credibility to Markel’s text. While there is an author’s note, it doesn’t give any indication of the research she conducted in writing this story. The illustrator’s note does tell of Hall’s process in researching before she put color to the page, which added some ethos, but none to the story itself.

Professional Review:

Lukehart, W. (2012, September). Fantastic jungles of Henri Rousseau [review of Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau]. School Library Journal, 58(9), 132. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

PreS-Gr 3 -- Drawing on the naïve techniques found in the paintings of the 19th-century French toll collector, Hall depicts Rousseau's life while introducing his style and subject matter in her fanciful watercolor and acrylic scenes. Markel's well-chosen episodes begin with the purchase of his first paints and brushes -- at age 40. Compact sentences convey this self-taught artist's rocky journey, leaving room for Hall's interpretation. One dynamic composition propels Rousseau, clad in black, toward readers; one eye is enlarged behind a magnifying glass as he studies and scatters colorful postcards, catalogs, and paintings from the Louvre. Humor is conveyed even when his art is being rejected by the Salon experts. As the tiny man wheels his cart of canvases up to imposing, bewhiskered figures in tuxedos, close inspection reveals that some are monkeys. An author's note highlights Rousseau's reaction to the exotic plants at the Jardin des Plantes: "…it's as though he enters into a dream. It's like he is someone else completely." Hall's portrait accompanying that idea in the narrative is formed from greenery, flowers, and wheat -- part Rousseau, part Arcimboldo. The 1889 International Exhibition also opened the artist's world; afterward, his jungle canvases came to life, and a tiger crawled into his studio. Ultimately, he was fêted by luminaries identified in the illustrator's note. This is not only a visually exciting introduction to a well-known artist, but also an uplifting model of passion and perseverance. Pair it with Doris Kutschbach's Henri Rousseau's Jungle Book (Prestel, 2005) for a slightly different perspective. -- Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Library Use: It would be so much fun to collaborate with an art teacher with books like The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, Viva Frida (2014) by Yuyi Morales, Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter (2015) by Barbara Hekert, Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews (2015) by Kathleen Benson, A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (2013) by Jennifer Bryant, and Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse (2012) by Marjorie Blain Parker to create a genius hour project-- especially since Fantastic Jungles mentions the research that Rousseau did to teach himself how to paint!