Lisa absolutely loves art by Sophie Norsa

New Frontier Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781925059045.
(Ages: 3-6) Lisa and her cat, Picasso, are sitting at a cafe outside the art gallery, when Picasso suddenly runs into the gallery and disappears. Lisa searches through the paintings of the gallery, discovering famous artists while searching for her cat.
This is the first book written and illustrated by young artist Sophie Norsa. While the illustrations are very clever and introduce the reader to several important paintings and artists, the story itself is really just there to show off the art. The text feels too contrived and obvious. My 6 year old was also bothered by the fact that Lisa is smiling in most of the pictures, but if her beloved cat was missing she should be worried. At the back of the book we get to see the original paintings, but unfortunately they are not in the same order they appear in the book, making it harder for children to discover which belongs on which page.
Donella Reed