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A review by maryhannawilson
Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou
4.0
Vincent is determined to have nothing to do with art. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough this week because he and his sister, Lili, are staying with Uncle Leo, whose house is filled to overflowing with artwork.
It won't take long before Lili surprisingly disappears inside of a famous painting! Now Vincent and his cousin, Georgia, must join forces to rescue her. On their mission, Georgia will introduce Vincent to his family's secret history as the last of the Restorationists - a secret group with the power to travel through paintings.
Now Vincent must confront his own anger while trying to make sense of everything he learns about his family. Who will he become now that he knows there is more to his artistic gifts?
Honestly, I completely enjoyed this book. I absolutely love the connection to famous paintings because it opens so many possibilities for deeper learning and discovery as you read this story with kids. I imagine that my kids and I would have looked up the paintings as we encountered them in the story though I appreciate the complete list included at the end.
The world-building in this first fantasy story was well done. It took me a little bit to picture the way things worked inside the paintings, but I stuck with it and was able to create the images in my mind. The overall concept felt similar to the Pages & Co.: Book Wanderers series but with an art twist. (I say this as a good thing as I loved the Book Wanderers)
NOTE: There is a very clear Christian moment in this book. Vincent and Georgia enter Rembrandt's, "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" painting. Vincent makes eye contact with Jesus and feels like Jesus can see in his soul. He feels a sense of love and acceptance instead of the disgust he thought Jesus might feel when he saw how much anger was there.
This Christian moment is brief, and while I am a Christian and liked this portrayal of Jesus, it also felt a bit forced. Perhaps I am overly sensitive to it, but the appearance of Jesus didn't feel natural to me even though it was a painting of a biblical scene. That said, it is a very small moment in a fantastic story.
*If I wasn't a Christian, I would use the painting to talk about this biblical story, the historical figure of Jesus, and some of his followers' beliefs.
Honestly, I highly recommend this book as a fun fantasy adventure story with an amazing art connection that the homeschooling mom in me adores. Definitely pair this up with some learning about Vincent VanGogh and a visit to the art museum!
It won't take long before Lili surprisingly disappears inside of a famous painting! Now Vincent and his cousin, Georgia, must join forces to rescue her. On their mission, Georgia will introduce Vincent to his family's secret history as the last of the Restorationists - a secret group with the power to travel through paintings.
Now Vincent must confront his own anger while trying to make sense of everything he learns about his family. Who will he become now that he knows there is more to his artistic gifts?
Honestly, I completely enjoyed this book. I absolutely love the connection to famous paintings because it opens so many possibilities for deeper learning and discovery as you read this story with kids. I imagine that my kids and I would have looked up the paintings as we encountered them in the story though I appreciate the complete list included at the end.
The world-building in this first fantasy story was well done. It took me a little bit to picture the way things worked inside the paintings, but I stuck with it and was able to create the images in my mind. The overall concept felt similar to the Pages & Co.: Book Wanderers series but with an art twist. (I say this as a good thing as I loved the Book Wanderers)
NOTE: There is a very clear Christian moment in this book. Vincent and Georgia enter Rembrandt's, "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" painting. Vincent makes eye contact with Jesus and feels like Jesus can see in his soul. He feels a sense of love and acceptance instead of the disgust he thought Jesus might feel when he saw how much anger was there.
This Christian moment is brief, and while I am a Christian and liked this portrayal of Jesus, it also felt a bit forced. Perhaps I am overly sensitive to it, but the appearance of Jesus didn't feel natural to me even though it was a painting of a biblical scene. That said, it is a very small moment in a fantastic story.
*If I wasn't a Christian, I would use the painting to talk about this biblical story, the historical figure of Jesus, and some of his followers' beliefs.
Honestly, I highly recommend this book as a fun fantasy adventure story with an amazing art connection that the homeschooling mom in me adores. Definitely pair this up with some learning about Vincent VanGogh and a visit to the art museum!