In my hobby of finding picture books about artists (and other historical figures) I’ve discovered ten about Vincent van Gogh, more than any other artist I’ve researched so far. I’m dividing my reviews into two posts, based on recommended reading age. We’ll start with books for the younger set (ages 2 to 7) and follow up with books for slightly older kids (ages 6 to 12).
Vincent Paints His House by Tedd Arnold (Holiday House, 2015)
Every time Vincent decides what colour to paint his house a creature interrupts with his favourite colour (e.g. a spider wants to paint the house red, a bird wants to paint the house blue); you can imagine how the house looks at the end! Although van Gogh’s full name is never mentioned, you can see that the central character is a caricature of him and some of his paintings appear as backgrounds to the cartoonish illustrations. It’s a fun book with repetition that young children will enjoy. Recommended for ages 2 to 5.
Vincent’s Colors by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
This book consists of 16 paintings with a few words taken from van Gogh’s letters and arranged to make a poem. A brief intro explains that after van Gogh moved to the south of France where colours were brighter than in the Netherlands, he wrote many letters to his brother Theo. At the end of the book you’ll find a thumbnail and info about each painting along with the credit for the quotation. Recommended for ages 2 to 6.
Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story About Vincent van Gogh by Laurence Anholt (Barron’s, 1994)
This brief, bittersweet story is narrated by a young boy who befriends van Gogh during his time in the south of France. Camille likes to watch him paint and is sad that he has no other friends and can’t sell his paintings. The silver lining is the sunflower painting and the prediction that someday people would love van Gogh’s art. Soft illustrations incorporate reproductions of van Gogh’s paintings. The book ends with a two paragraph bio. Recommended for ages 4 to 6.
Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew (Orchard Books, 2000)
In this instalment of the Katie series, Katie pops in and out of five Post-Impressionist paintings, wreaking havoc and putting everything back again. The book ends with a description of Post-Impressionism and brief bios of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cezanne. This is definitely a playful picture book; it’s fun to see Katie interact with the famous paintings. Recommended for ages 4 to 7.
Katie and the Starry Night: A Magical Journey Through Five van Gogh Masterpieces by James Mayhew (Orchard Books, 2012)
This Katie book focuses exclusively on van Gogh paintings: The Starry Night, Vincent’s Chair, Noon, The Olive Grove, and Fishing Boats on the Beach. When the stars escape from The Starry Night Katie chases them through the other paintings! At the end is a brief bio of van Gogh, descriptions of the five paintings, plus encouragement to make your own paintings. Recommended for ages 4 to 7.