Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/01/2018 Gr 4–6—Artist and trailblazer Rosa Bonheur lived a life that was anything but conventional. Bonheur loved to draw and used her imagination to recreate what she observed in nature as a child. While traveling in Paris, she became fascinated by the creatures of the city, especially horses, which quickly became her favorite subject and inspired her life's work. Defying all expectations of young women of her time, she not only attended school, but also studied art as a pupil of her father, who was also an artist. Despite illness and multiple setbacks, Bonheur fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming an artist; she never gave up and persisted even in the face of criticism and doubt. Her most famous work, The Horse Fair, hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Realist painting in the world. High-definition, full-page reproductions of her artwork, as well as supporting historical information about the era in which Bonheur lived, make this an accessible portrait of the artist. However, MacDonald presents Bonheur's admiration of painter George Catlin and friendship with Buffalo Bill without commentary on their exploitation of American Indians. A detailed bibliography as well as a list of her paintings and their museum locations provide additional context. VERDICT Consider for robust art history collections.—Natalie Romano, Denver Public Library - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2018 Nineteenth-century French painter Rosa Bonheur enjoyed popular and financial success during her lifetime, two rare achievements for a working artist, not to mention a female one. She specialized in lifelike animal portraits and scenes, having blossomed under the tutelage of her artist father. Macdonald writes enthusiastically of Rosa’s passion and talent, as well as her disregard for convention. In addition to working in a traditionally male profession, Rosa wore pants and her hair cut short. She observed animal anatomy on the floor of a slaughterhouse and even obtained a permit to disguise herself as a man in order to sketch at the Paris horse fair, where women were not allowed. Her tenacity paid off, with many of her works appearing in the Louvre’s Salon art shows and a mural-sized painting, The Horse Fair, garnering international acclaim. Macdonald does a wonderful job of integrating reproductions and photographs of Rosa’s artwork with the events of her life and describing the different art movements influencing her style. A worthy biography of a unique and talented woman. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.