Van Gogh's Dog

This delightful picture book introduces the works of renowned artist Van Gogh to a young audience in a clever and unique way. We meet the artist at home, questioning whether he actually is an artist as he has nothing to paint and goes nowhere or meets no one to inspire him. Enter Sonny the dog; bursting from a wheat field, stealing the artist’s hat and running away through a glorious field of sunflowers. The chase continues throughout the book, taking in a variety of scenes and views which adult readers will recognise as some of the many famous paintings by Van Gogh, shared with us in their full glory in the closing pages.

Illustrator Helmer has created wonderful bright pictures in the style of Van Gogh’s paintings and Larson’s imaginative story is a lovely introduction to these paintings for younger children, whilst encouraging them to look at the world through an artist’s eyes.