"With large, crisply reproduced, color artwork on nearly every page, this picture-book biography of American Impressionist Mary Cassatt will appeal to a broad age-range of readers.â"
-Booklist

"It is attractive, clear, and useful to young students."
-Library Media Connection

"Explores history and social context in an engaging manner that will connect readers--and their parents--to earlier times."
-The Bloomsbury Review

Mary Cassatt knew from a young age that she wanted to make her living as an artist. She persuaded her parents to send her to the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at age fifteen, and by age twenty, she had moved abroad to begin her painting career. After several years of study and success, she found her rightful place among the Impressionists, becoming their first and only female American member.

Illustrated with Cassatt's own work and that of other influential Impressionists, as well as photographs of the artist, this book offers children a glimpse at life during the late 1800s and showcases the colorful vivaciousness of Cassatt's work. Her beloved portraits of mothers and children are highlighted here, but the book also includes lesser-known work that shows Cassatt's range of talent. Children will enjoy seeing the warm and loving images of others their age relaxing with pets, enjoying the outdoors, and being held by caring adults.

Inspiring for all children, but especially appropriate for those with artistic interests, this book shows how one girl's lifelong dream to become an artist came true due to an independent spirit, determination, and commitment to her craft. Just as Mary Cassatt was an inspiration to many young artists who moved to Paris to fulfill their dreams, so may this book be a catalyst for young readers to follow their heart and mind towards their creative goals.

About the Author
Lois Harris grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she spent many Saturdays at the Brooklyn Art Museum. A member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in creative writing. Her fiction, nonfiction, and photographs have appeared in Highlights, Hopscotch, Fun for Kidz, and My Friend magazines. This is her first book.

MARY CASSATT
Impressionist Painter
By Lois V. Harris
32 pp.  11 x 8½  23 color illus.  7 b/w photos  Ages 5-8
ISBN: 1-58980-452-X
EAN: 978-1-58980-452-4