SYNOPSIS

(During his time in the town of Arles in southern France, Vincent van Gogh befriended a postman and his family – nowadays well recognized as the objects of the Roulin family of portraits). According to the story of this book, the middle son, Camille, becomes enamored with van Gogh’s unique art and spends many hours watching him create some of his famous paintings. Unfortunately, the residents of Arles – children and adults alike – do not take kindly to van Gogh, and cruelly turn him out of town. Van Gogh tenderly parts with his young friend, while Camille’s father predicts that although “people laugh at things that are different” one day they “wil learn to love Vincent’s paintings.”

PERFECT AGE 5 – 8

THEMES

• Kindness toward and support of one’s friends, looking for ways to protect friends from others’ cruelty
• Enjoying and respecting individual, unique perspectives on the world around us
• Coping with disappointment and the loss of a friend

We love

• A beautiful introduction of van Gogh’s famous works in the “natural habitat” in which they were created
• A very child-friendly yet instructive take on some of van Gogh’s hardest years
• Especially when shown from the perspective of a young boy, this story can offer up great conversations about acceptance, tolerance, and celebration of all sorts of differences -and not just of future “van Goghs”

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• Why do you think Camille was so proud of his own portrait while his classmates laughed at it?
• What do you feel when you look at Vincent’s paintings in the book? How about when you look at the children throwing rocks?
• What can you tell me about how pictures make us feel?
• How do you think van Gogh may have felt when he painted?