{"id":39649,"date":"2021-08-16T16:43:10","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T20:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39649"},"modified":"2021-08-16T16:43:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T20:43:10","slug":"review-of-simon-at-the-art-museum-by-christina-soontornvat-art-by-christine-davenier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39649","title":{"rendered":"Review of Simon at the Art Museum, by Christina Soontornvat, art by Christine Davenier"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Simon at the Art Museum<\/em><\/p>\n

by Christina Soontornvat
\nart by Christine Davenier<\/p>\n

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020. 36 pages.
\nReview written July 2, 2021, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

I was happily disposed to Simon at the Art Museum<\/em> as soon as I opened the cover and saw the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay in Paris filling the end papers. (I\u2019ve spent some happy hours there.) It isn\u2019t named, and there\u2019s an \u201cArt Show\u201d sign in English, but it\u2019s enough for me. As the book begins, Simon and his parents enter the museum, and Simon shouts his greetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cShhh,\u201d whispered Simon\u2019s mom.
\n\u201cSweetie, remember what we agreed about inside voices?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Simon is still enjoying the big building with its slippery floors. This part had me won over:<\/p>\n

Simon and his parents looked at the art together.
\nThey looked at more art.
\nAnd then more.<\/p>\n

So. Much. Art.<\/p>\n

What IS it with this place?<\/em> thought Simon,
\nbefore remembering that it was, in fact, an art museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a swimming pool?\u201d asked Simon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a reflecting pool,\u201d whispered his dad.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a work of art too, just like the paintings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon casually suggested they could make the art even better if they chased the pigeons along its edge.<\/p>\n

After that, his parents decided they wanted to hold his hands.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, the pictures accompanying those words make them all the more delightful. Simon\u2019s noticing things \u2013 maybe not the same things as his parents.<\/p>\n

In another gallery, Simon sits while his parents look at the art, and I love the things he sees as he watches the people looking at the art.<\/p>\n

Just when I wondered why they made the choice to portray Simon and his parents as white when the author (who won TWO Newbery Honor awards last year) is a person of color, I came across the probable reason why \u2013 when they found a child in a painting very like Simon. (I assume it\u2019s a real painting and wish they had a note. Though I suppose even if it\u2019s a generic Impressionist painting, it makes more sense having a white child in the picture.) <\/p>\n

If I had small children and I was planning to visit a museum, I\u2019d read this book together first. It\u2019s a great jumping-off point for talking about what museums are like \u2013 but it also reminds parents to see things from their children\u2019s eyes. And for older folks like me who don\u2019t have young kids \u2013 this picture book simply makes me smile.<\/p>\n

soontornvat.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/simon_at_the_art_museum.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a>