With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of
the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan
lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew
up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire
Hills of Massachusetts.As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an
illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I
remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could
enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to
recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm
drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me,
and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the
Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size
landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to
refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain,"
she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these
beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband,
Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan
visits many different countries where she researches the
architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave
paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the
traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting
point for my children's books."
"Brett's paintings are marked by unusual clarity and brightness,
but also by humor. . . . This is a delight." -Booklist, starred
review
"A charming new edition of a favorite nursery tale. . . Perfect to
share with individual or group, this belongs on everyone's list."
-Kirkus Reviews, starred review
PreS-Gr 2 Brett's retelling, adapted from Andrew Lang, is strong and smooth. These well-heeled Scandinavian-looking bears live in a house that would put yuppy collectors of country homes and folk art to shame, and the elaborate, imaginative, and richly colored designs bear repeated viewings. Every tuft of beary fur is clear, every item of clothing is ornamented, and every article of furniture is carved, patterned, or decorated. Bear motifs are repeated throughout, including carved bear beds, handmade bear porridge bowls, and a solid bear door. Brett's use of borders continues to expand upon the storyline. Here wide woody borders in the double-page spreads contain elements of the action occuring elsewhere. They alternate with simple narrow borders in the single-page illustrations. Personality emerges nicely. The ``little, small, wee'' bear bumbles into everything, and the great huge bear is alternately gentle and gruff, but the middle-sized bear attracts little direct attention. Goldilocks is somewhat less successful. At first, her face is finely drawn, but in later pages it's a bit flattened. Overall, some readers might wish for less decorations and some imaginative space, and may be overwhelmed by the amount of detail, but Brett's fans will be delighted. Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier
"Brett's paintings are marked by unusual clarity and brightness,
but also by humor. . . . This is a delight." -Booklist,
starred review
"A charming new edition of a favorite nursery tale. . . Perfect to
share with individual or group, this belongs on everyone's list."
-Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Ask a Question About this Product More... |