By Jan Wahl
Charlesbridge Press, $15.95, 32 pages
At a very young age, Oscar develops a love of art after watching his great-grandmother draw a beautiful red rooster. When Oscar tries to create his own bird, he gets frustrated and upset. His work looks nothing like a rooster! Despite his inability to draw or paint, Oscar loves looking at his great-grandmother’s rooster. Soon Oscar is visiting weekend flea markets with his parents. The little boy has a good eye for artwork. His main criterion is that he has to love looking at each piece he buys. Oscar uses his own money and when he has to borrow from his mom and dad, he pulls weeds and helps around the house to repay them. His parents are very supportive of his passion. This special book reinforces the idea that everyone has a special talent, whether that is as an artist or as someone who enjoys collecting and looking at art. One talent is not better than the other. Jan Wahl’s The Art Collector is a charming story that any who appreciates art will cherish, even little art collectors! Illustrator Rosalinde Bonnet makes Oscar’s collection shine. Not everyone can be a famous artist, but everyone can love art.
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin
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