  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 08/01/2012 PreS-Gr 2—Janson the mouse lives in an art museum where she roams freely after all the visitors leave. When she happens upon the modern wing, she is mesmerized. Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, Munch and Pollack, Van Gogh and Warhol spark her creative talents and she emulates them all. When the wing is closed for renovation, Janson is bereft. How will she live without these amazing paintings? Rather than leave the space empty, she paints and paints until the room is once again filled with art. The museum director happens upon her work and mounts a show for her. As with all art shows, some people like it and others don't. In the end, she has grown as a painter and developed a style of her own. Zalben's simple, unfussy cartoons are engaging and fanciful, filled with clever and telling detail. This is an engaging book built around some of the great artists of the 20th century and introduces children to their signature styles. It has a wonderful, inspiring story; marvelous illustrations; and back matter that connects them all. Mousterpiece is a terrific springboard for aspiring young artists everywhere.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 09/15/2012 *Starred Review* Each night Janson the mouse explores the museum where she lives. Upon discovering the modern art section, “her little world opens.” She responds to the paintings, collages, drawings, and sculptures by creating her own, based on the ones she sees each night. When the modern wing is closed for renovation, Janson stares at the bare walls and looks forlorn. Not for long, though. She creates new pictures inspired by her old favorites and leaves her paintings on display. The museum director finds them and decides to exhibit her works, including her “mousterpiece,” the one picture painted in her own personal style. Following the story, which is pared down to the essentials, a four-page appended section, “Janson’s Favorite Artists,” includes a little information about the 22 artists represented, paired with postage-stamp-sized reproductions of each visual homage interpreting the modern masters from a mouse’s perspective. The book’s striking cover features a rectangular cut-out that frames the title-page illustration of Janson painting a jungle scene inspired by Henri Rousseau. On the pages within, the generous use of white space heightens the impact and the color intensity of the artwork. A charming introduction to modern art, an inspiring starting point for young art students, and a tribute to the way art can spark imagination. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Loading...
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