The Artist

A warm, imagination-centered picture book from a reading specialist author who clearly knows her audience — Max and Annie's time-traveling adventure with a magical artist in the woods is the kind of story designed to be read aloud and to open up creative thinking in young children. The author's background gives it genuine educational intentionality. The problem is the critical record is essentially nonexistent, the publisher is a small regional house, and there is no way to assess how the finished product actually compares to the field. Without documentation, the verdict stays cautious.