Mr. Gauguin's Heart.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Based on a true story, Mr. Gauguin’s Heart (originally published in 2004 under the French title Le Coeur De Monsieur Gauguin) is about the birth of imagination and the solace of art. Young Paul Gauguin sailed from Denmark to Peru with his family: his mother, his father, his sister, Marie, and his odd-looking, imaginary orange dog. At first being on the boat was fun; he loved to walk his dog on the ship’s bridge. Then one day, Paul found his mother in tears; his father had died. When the ship docked, Paul refused to leave. Then an old man took him by the hand and in a few brush strokes, he had stirred a passion that lay just beneath the boy’s surface. He had shown Paul how to paint, but, more than that, he taught him how to bring his memories to life. Mr. Gauguin’s Heart is a charming and heartwarming story of how, as a boy, Paul Gauguin learned to channel his grief from the death of his father and pour it into his first painting — one that would pave the way to many masterpieces.

The story is well told. A brief afterword about the life and artistic career of the adult Paul Gauguin would be a useful addition for young readers. Isabelle Arsenault’s paintings are very well done and strengthen the book. They contain an interesting use of perspective to place the viewer as if we are within the artwork. Her sparing use of warm colours against dominant cool shades of blues and greens adds intrigue. The recurring use of circular shapes softens each image. Recommended.