A Tulip in Winter

February 15, 2023
Grades 1-3 The overflowing-with-life folk art of self-taught Nova Scotian artist Maud Lewis (1903-70) is lovingly emulated here, complementing the story of Lewis' life as a disabled woman who struggled with poverty--but who never stopped covering every available surface with childlike paintings. Lewis had a condition that led to debilitating rheumatoid arthritis as an adult, and when, as a child, she could no longer play piano, her mother encouraged her to try holding a paintbrush. Maud's creativity flowed from there. "As Maud grew up, colour flowed through her days," writes Stinson, and even as an adult, Maud painted on any surface and included any elements she wanted: "If there is snow on the ground, mountaintops are not green--except in Maud's paintings." Anyone who's faced a challenge--that's everyone!---will appreciate Maud's tenacity and Soloy's lively art that bursts with color. The end of Lewis' life is covered, too, with Stinson describing how the artist fit in a child's coffin, a fact epitomizing the book's inherent respect for young readers' ability to handle tough details. A great choice for biography and art shelves.

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May 1, 2023
Maud Lewis (1903�? 1970) was a Nova Scotian folk artist who lived with rheumatoid arthritis. Despite physical and economic challenges, she never let her passion for art fade away. As a child, when her hands become too bent and stiff to play the piano, she starts painting. When her parents die and her brother sells the house, Maud finds a job as fish peddler Everett Lewis's live-in housekeeper (and eventually marries him, though this isn't mentioned in the book). There's not much money for paint, but Maud makes the best of what she has, adding "touches of colour" to Everett's "dull little house," painting birds and butterflies on the doors and flowers on the windows. Eventually she is able to sell her beautiful paintings and gain recognition for her creations. Stinson celebrates not only Lewis's artistic achievements but also her resilient spirit in the face of poverty and hardship. Soloy's illustrations capture the essence of Lewis's unique artistic style with a cheery palette that reflects the text's upbeat tone. A touching and uplifting tribute, this book emphasizes the importance of finding beauty in the everyday and persevering through life's challenges. Weileen Wang

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 3-Although not a well-recognized name in the art world, Maud Lewis, a white Canadian folk artist known for her cheerful paintings of flowers, animals, and landscapes, is celebrated in this picture book. As a child, Lewis was teased and ostracized for an increasingly debilitating illness (noted in the back matter as rheumatoid arthritis). When her mother handed her a paintbrush Lewis began to notice all of the beauty that surrounds her: "Shape. Lines. Colours. Everywhere!" As she grew up, she continued to face hardships and found an unlikely home with the local fish peddler who allowed her to be her true creative self. The narrative is filled with imagery and read-aloud potential ("his house as dreary as a dishpan of dirty water") that is fully complemented by the digitally rendered illustrations. The palette of cream, green, gold, and gray is directly connected to the real work of Lewis and the flattened, one-dimensional style and jagged linework is true to her own painting method. Cream-colored drawings added to the scenes represent the optimistic way in which the artist viewed the world. Back matter includes information about Lewis and notes from author and illustrator. VERDICT A strong addition to biography or art shelves or to collections seeking representation of life in early 20th-century Nova Scotia.-Danielle Schwessinger

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 17, 2023
Beginning with the early life of Canadian artist Maud Lewis (1903–1970), Stinson conveys in brief bursts of text the biography of “a woman as one-of-a-kind as her house.” As young Lewis matures, and a condition (noted in back matter as rheumatoid arthritis) leads to the end of her piano-playing, she turns to painting: “Shapes./ Lines./ Colours./ Everywhere!” After her parents die, and she becomes a fish peddler’s housekeeper, the artistic eye and spirit nurtured in childhood find her adding painted details to the home. Depicting a world populated with bright flowers, singing birds, and curious cats, Soloy, modeling digital illustrations on Lewis’s cheery naïf aesthetic, shows how, despite her frequent lack of materials, Lewis was driven to adorn the world with “what was good and beautiful.” This deeply sympathetic biography is testimony to a creative life that yielded joyful art. Back matter includes a biography and creators’ notes. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from March 1, 2023
A profile of Nova Scotian folk artist Maud Lewis. It's eminently challenging to distill an entire life into a picture book, though perhaps those about artists are a bit easier given that so much content can be conveyed through art. Soloy's illustrations rise to the occasion, emulating the na�ve style and cheery palette of Lewis' (1903-1970) art while highlighting key moments in Stinson's tight narrative. There's sadness in the telling, to be sure--Lewis had rheumatoid arthritis in a time and place when good treatments weren't available--but there's grace and beauty, too, as when her mother first gives her a paintbrush. Left to fend for herself after her parents die and her brother sells the house and moves, Maud finds work and companionship with Everett Lewis, a fish peddler in need of a housekeeper. It is in this small house, and with Everett's support, that Maud continues painting, eventually selling her creations. And it is this small house itself that Maud paints, adding color to the walls, shelves, doors, and more, and that now sits inside the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Biographical info in the backmatter expands upon the text, sharing that Lewis' works are now much more valuable than they ever were during her lifetime and emphasizing her legacy of finding beauty in the everyday. (This book was reviewed digitally.) In a word: beautiful. (author's and illustrator's notes) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
Maud Lewis (1903�? 1970) was a Nova Scotian folk artist who lived with rheumatoid arthritis. Despite physical and economic challenges, she never let her passion for art fade away. As a child, when her hands become too bent and stiff to play the piano, she starts painting. When her parents die and her brother sells the house, Maud finds a job as fish peddler Everett Lewis's live-in housekeeper (and eventually marries him, though this isn't mentioned in the book). There's not much money for paint, but Maud makes the best of what she has, adding "touches of colour" to Everett's "dull little house," painting birds and butterflies on the doors and flowers on the windows. Eventually she is able to sell her beautiful paintings and gain recognition for her creations. Stinson celebrates not only Lewis's artistic achievements but also her resilient spirit in the face of poverty and hardship. Soloy's illustrations capture the essence of Lewis's unique artistic style with a cheery palette that reflects the text's upbeat tone. A touching and uplifting tribute, this book emphasizes the importance of finding beauty in the everyday and persevering through life's challenges.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)