Pippin Paints a Portrait

Created by Charlotte Mei

Published by: Cicada Books

Imprint: Cicada Books

36 Pages, 8.43 x 10.30 in, Color illustrations throughout

Hardcover
9781800660144
Published: April 2022

$16.99

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Description
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Praise

A laugh-out-loud story of artistic expression, told in direct speech and adorable manga-inflected illustrations by Charlotte Mei.

''The author and illustrator, Charlotte Mei, provides beautifully simplistic artwork to accompany her uplifting and inspirational story of self-discovery''. -- Seattle Book Review

''I love that this book talks about famous artists but ultimately Pippin finds his own way of creating. Perfect for budding artists''. -- Picturebook Playdate

''This is an ideal introduction to famous artists and some of their most celebrated works for young readers''. -- Library Girl and Book Boy

''This successful debut dips into artistic mediums, and shows that there is much fun and mileage to be had in imitating old masters, as well as managing to ace your own style''. -- Good Reads

''Charlotte Mei provides playful illustrations that contrast with the fine art at the heart of the book''. -- The Great British Bookworm

''This beautifully illustrated picture book will not only inspire children to want to create art but also feel confident and determined to do it''. -- School Reading List

“Today I am going to paint a portrait. It is a portrait of someone very important. That someone is ME (it is a self-portrait). All famous artists paint pictures of themselves, and I am a famous artist. Or at least I will be when I’ve finished my portrait.”

Pippin is painting his self-portrait, but his friends think he’s got a lot to learn about painting. They take him to see Angelique’s portrait, which takes inspiration from Cubism, Dudley’s portrait, which is inspired by the work of Chris Ofili, Momo’s portrait, which draws from the work of Yayoi Kusama, and Franklin and Aaliya’s portrait, which is a colour field painting in the style of Mark Rothko.

Pippin is feeling very deflated, but his little friend Minky helps him to dig deep and find the artist inside himself.

Packed with information about famous artists, their approaches and their mediums, this book simultaneously engages, informs and asks young readers to question how they themselves ‘read’ and create art.

'Pippin is a dog with a distinct artistic style. Pippin and his friends explains artistic terminology and describe the creative processes of famous painters. This particular dog has strong opinions about distinguished artists, and displays his own unique style of art proudly. He lovingly creates a self-portrait of himself with his favorite medium, crayons. In order to properly paint his masterpiece, Pippin examines himself lovingly and reflects on his own beauty.
Pippin Paints a Portrait will teach children ages three to eight about painting techniques while inspiring them to find their own creative style. This story has the ability to start a conversation about the healing properties of art. The author and illustrator, Charlotte Mei, provides beautifully simplistic artwork to accompany her uplifting and inspirational story of self-discovery'. -- Seattle Book Review
'I love my kids’ art so much and I’ll bet you love what your kids create too! And if you feel like rolling some reading time into your art time, then this book is one you’ll want to find.
Pippin the dog is going to paint a portrait. A self-portrait, that is. But first he has to decide on what medium to use. How fantastic is it that this book introduces that concept?! But then Pippin sees all of his friends creating self-portraits inspired by famous artists and feels like his creation isn’t quite up to snuff. Thankfully he has a friend to talk to him about creativity.
I love that this book talks about famous artists but ultimately Pippin finds his own way of creating. And it has great back notes about the artists as well.
Perfect for budding artists, swipe to take a peek inside. Thanks to @cicadabooks @pubspotlight for sharing this one with me!' -- Picturebook Playdate
'I’m quite a fan of this type of book – a narrative that wraps knowledge through its core. The works of Seurat, Degas, Picasso and others introduced through the narrative. What’s not to love about a picture book that does that? Charlotte Mei provides playful illustrations that contrast with the fine art at the heart of the book.
Now for the teacher bit. This is the perfect book to hook young children into learning about fine art. Most children start to develop themselves as artists by drawing portraits of themselves and those around them, so the focus on this is quite clever. For anyone hoping to develop their understanding of art, it is a joy to to see how much is packed into one book. Mediums are discussed, abstract is presented and techniques like pointillism is shared with the reader.
Let your children dream, let them become artists.'. -- The Great British Bookworm
'This is an ideal introduction to famous artists and some of their most celebrated works for young readers. As Pippin ponders which medium to use for his self-portrait, his friends share theirs with him too. Pippin soon reaches the conclusion that he’s best off creating his own kind of art rather than trying to emulate someone else. A great message for children to hear'. -- Library Girl and Book Boy
'This beautifully illustrated picture book cleverly introduces children to famous artists including Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rothko, Seurat and Matisse. Pippen’s process in picking a subject, a medium, a style and presenting a finished portrait is relentlessly positive. This book will not only inspire children to want to create art but also feel confident and determined to do it. A wonderful book to discuss in EYFS PSHE, and for primary school libraries'. -- School Reading List
'This successful debut book has a young dog wanting to show off his painting prowess with his self-portrait, but all his friends are doing it too – and they're doing it a la Picasso, Yayoi Kusama, even flippin' Rothko – so how is he going to find an individual look? This then is not quite the perfect mix of art history primer and lesson in self-expression, but it's not far off ideal. It dips into artistic mediums, and shows that there is much fun and mileage to be had in imitating old masters, as well as managing to ace your own style'. -- Goodreads