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    The Children's Book Review

    Vincent Can’t Sleep: Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky | Book Review

    Dr. Jen HarrisonBy Dr. Jen Harrison3 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Art Bedtime Books Best Kids Stories Books with Boy Characters Cultural Wisdom Picture Books
    Book Art Starry Night
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    The Children’s Book Review | May 11, 2018

    Vincent Cant Sleep- Van Gogh Paints the Night SkyVincent Can’t Sleep: Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky

    Written by Barb Rosenstock

    Illustrated by Mary Grandpré

    Age Range: 4-8

    Publisher: Random House Children’s Books (2017)

    ISBN: 978-1-101-93712-9

    What to Expect: History, Art, Biography

    Vincent Van Gogh is a famous artist: everyone knows his name, recognizes his paintings, revers his originality and his visionary style. That doesn’t, however, mean that he was appreciated and understood in his own life. Like so many artists, Van Gogh faced hostility, incomprehension, and disappointment from friends, family, and community. This beautiful picture book tells the story of his life from the point of view of the artist’s restless quest for vision and creation, culminating with the satisfaction of finally completing The Night Sky.

    This picture book is a masterpiece of lyrical text working hand-in-hand with striking illustration. Weaving through the story is the repetition of a theme with the line “Vincent can’t sleep…”, inviting readers to view artistic creation not as just another job, but passion that infuses the artist’s body and mind. Mary Grandpré’s beautiful style of illustration, so familiar from the Harry Potter books, incorporate elements from Van Gogh’s own paintings, subtly making the point to readers that art is drawn from real life, and real-life perspective is colored by artistic representations. These are complex ideas, but presented simply so that readers of all ages can explore them through the visuals and poetic language. Most important of all, the book carries a strong message about acceptance and success, suggesting that it the one is not always an accurate indicator of the other. The creators of this picture-book have done a wonderful job of drawing out thought-provoking and inspiring themes from an already beautiful narrative.

    Available Here: 

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    About the Author

    BARB ROSENSTOCK is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint Box, also illustrated by Mary GrandPré, as well as The Camping Trip that Changed America, illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, and Fearless: The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith, illustrated by Scott Dawson. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two big poodles. Visit her at BarbRosenstock.com or @barbrosenstock.

    About the Illustrator

    MARY GRANDPRÉ is best known as the illustrator of the Harry Potter books. She also illustrated the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint Box, as well as The Carnival of the Animals, written by Jack Prelutsky, and Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat by Jennifer Armstrong, amongst many others. Visit her at marygrandpre.com.

    Vincent Can’t Sleep: Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky, written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary GrandPré, was reviewed by Dr. Jen Harrison. Discover more books like Star Wars Block: Over 100 Words Every Fan Should Know by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Acceptance, Art, Barb Rosenstock, Biographies, Mary GrandPré, and Vincent Van Gogh.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Silent Days, Silent Dreams, by Allen Say | Book Review
    2. Jeanne Walker Harvey Discusses Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas
    3. Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille, by Jen Bryant | Book Review
    4. Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas | Dedicated Review

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Acceptance Art Artists Barb Rosenstock Bedtime Biographies History Mary GrandPré Picture Book Vincent Van Gogh
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    Dr. Jen Harrison
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    Dr. Jen Harrison provides writing and research services as the CEO of Read.Write.Perfect. She completed her Ph.D. in Children’s and Victorian Literature at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in the UK. After a brief spell in administration, Jen then trained as a secondary school English teacher and worked for several years teaching Secondary School English, working independently as a private tutor of English, and working in nursery and primary schools. She has been an editor for the peer-reviewed journal of children’s literature, Jeunesse, and has published academic work on children’s non-fiction, YA speculative fiction, and the posthuman.

    2 Comments

    1. Shreya Setia on May 11, 2018 4:25 am

      I’m currently in the middle of the second of the Binti books from Nnedi Okorafor. They are short, but astonishingly dense – ideas just keep on flying at you, reminding you of just how ‘alien’, yet utterly relatable, the universe she has created is. It’s as though you are reading as a contemporary of the protagonist – the universal (to her) is unexplained, but things that are specific to her culture, or cultures that she is unfamiliar with, are explained by her. It’s utterly glorious.

      Reply
    2. Jack Sparrow on November 15, 2019 5:13 am

      Very nice article ! Thanks for sharing the post i love this types of article

      Reply
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