Painting Pepette

K-Gr 2—Little Josette Bobette and her beloved rabbit, Pepette, live happily together in 1920s Paris. Their favorite activity is cuddling in a beautiful room full of portraits of Josette's family. One day, Josette realizes that Pepette is not represented on the wall. The two set out for Montmartre, where all the best artists in Paris paint, to procure a portrait for Pepette. After encountering four famous artists who paint the rabbit beautifully but in their individual styles, Josette takes matters into her own hands, creating the perfect portrait to hang on the wall. A brief author's note identifies the artists (Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, and Henri Matisse) and discusses the artistic culture of the time. Lovely watercolor illustrations in a subdued but colorful palette are well suited to a sweet story that textually and visually depicts the enchanting ambience of Paris. Introducing readers to the unique styles of these masters, the story works whether used as a jumping-off point for learning about painters or simply as one-on-one pleasure reading. Josette is reminiscent of Madeline, skipping around the streets of Paris with a bow on her head.