About the dog that painted pictures – review of the book “Van Dog”

You get up in the morning, eat breakfast, look out the window and think – “perfect day to paint a picture”! You pack your bags, go to the meadow, you decompose, and then suddenly talking bugs, vampires appear, Godzilla asks for directions to Tokyo, and the angler whether the fish are taking. This is the normal working day of the painter Van Dog.

I love abstract worlds and heroes. Seeing the book called “Van Dog” in Harper Collins’ announcements, I could not pass by (the person responsible for the title should receive some copywriting award). The book, on the one hand, introducing children to the subject of painting, and on the other hand, fitting into fantasy is an interesting and noteworthy combination.

In the picture I can see…

The first pages of the story show the reader the artist’s house. There are paints, easels, books with the names of famous painters and, of course, the main character himself staring at the window and stirring with a spoon in a steaming cup. There is no text here, except for the names of oil or turpentine, and the mentioned book titles, but we have no problem with the situation. The next shots show us how Van Dog goes into the open air and finally announces that he will be painting. Although the whole thing takes place outside the city, the artist is not allowed to work in peace, because its neighborhood abounds with many active residents and visitors. There are various chirping worms, ants that gather together, bleating (sometimes flying) sheep and buzzing wasps. Everyone comes to life making many different noises and going about their own affairs. Along with the pages of history, more and more guests (also such as the aforementioned Godzilla or her friend King Kong) appear on the meadow and no one tries to stay quiet. And the knight on horseback will run, shouting, “Herring out of the way!”, And the spider will come and say that he loves the color blue. There is always something going on, but Van Dog, despite unfavorable conditions, works tirelessly.

Every detail matters

The book by the duo Mikołaj Pasiński and Gosia Herb delights. On the one hand, this book is a title that you spend many hours searching for and discovering new characters and dialogues, and on the other hand, it shows how difficult the creative process can be (and how many surprises you have to reckon with during it). When it comes to the educational aspect, it is impossible not to notice the intertwined artistic references. Starting from the aforementioned books with names such as Hockney, Pieter Bruegel, Van Gogh or Monet, to shots or a style at times similar to the works of these artists. Taking examples, the table scene (front page) is similar to the dining room Overlooking the Garden paintingBonnard, the views of the clearing have something of Hockney in them, and the amount of details and small scenes taking place in the background immediately brings to mind Bruegel’s paintings. At the same time, you can see that Gosia Herba already has her own amazing and individual style that cannot be underestimated.

Little reading but a lot of content

This is not an ordinary book to read, but a title for fun and study. There is no continuous text in it, but short dialogues that tell the stories of many different characters. It is full of interesting events, abstract dialogues and colors, and finally also folded pages so that the reader (or readers) can create their own work. I want more such books on our market, and not only for the youngest!