Once Upon a Picture.

Once Upon a Picture. Sally Swain Chicago, IL: Allen & Unwin, distributed by Independent Publishers Group, 2005. Illus., hardcover, 32 pp., $16.95.

Imagine you can enter the drama as a character within a famous artwork. This author/illustrator invokes a creative storytelling response to four paintings: The Umbrellas (1896, A. Renoir), Twittering Machine (1922, P. Klee), The Starry Night (1889, V. van Gogh), and Tiger in a Tropical Storm (1891, H. Rousseau). A small reproduction of each of these artworks is introduced with a provocative, short line of text. Bubble-framed images feature sequential action of a main character from the painting. For instance, the young girl in The Umbrellas departs from her disapproving mother to play with her hoop until she encounters a friend to share her frolic. Painted in the style of each artist, a steady rhythm of action evokes the careful viewer's attention. Young readers have a chance to create narrative and simultaneously become acquainted with noted master-pieces.