A Picture for Marc Book

GROWING UP IN Russia in the late 1800s, Marc Chagall doesn’t know what art is. He doesn’t even know what drawing is until one of his schoolmates shows him how to trace a picture in a magazine. Marc tries it himself, then decides to pull pictures out of his own mind—his Uncle Noah on the roof, flying cows, and happy men with fiddles. Suddenly Marc knows what he wants to do with his life. He wants to be an artist!

Children's Literature

Based in factual information about Marc Chagall's childhood, this simple chapter book presents a plausible scenario of Chagall's discovery of his artistic talent at a young age. Growing up in a small town in Russia in the late 1800s was not conducive to an interest in art. Marc noticed beauty everywhere. He delighted in the everyday scenes he observed: a chestnut horse pulling a wagon, a gray-bearded fiddler playing his violin, the changing shapes of clouds. Others did not share his joy of color and movement. Then, one day, a classmate showed him how to trace a picture from a magazine. Marc soon tired of tracing and discovered that he could draw his own pictures. The classmate introduced Marc to Yehuda Pen, a local artist who gave training and encouragement to young people with talent. Marc's dad took him to work on the docks with him so he could learn about how the world really was. While he kept a ledger of barrels loaded and unloaded, Marc drew pictures in the margins of the pages. The owner of the factory was so impressed with Marc's drawings that his dad agreed to let Marc study with Mr. Pen, and his career was launched. Simple black-line illustrations capture the tone and convey the enthusiasm of the story. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.