A squirrel that delights in visiting the Met, aspiring to open his own private art gallery? That would be Micawber. A fun picture book for kids ages 3-99, I gave Micawber to my favorite little artist Charlie, several years ago.
Micawber delights on several levels. Illustrator C. F. Payne’s artwork is gorgeous and expressive. Payne’s illustrations regularly appear in the Atlantic Monthly and Time magazine. Best-selling children’s author and award winning actor John Lithgow writes the delightful, clever rhyming verse. He also authored The Remarkable Farkle McBride and Marsupial Sue.
Self-satisfied, smug, and exploding with personality, Micawber is a gleeful, ambitious squirrel residing in New York City’s Central Park. He adores visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Micawber aspires to become a famous artist, and concocts an elaborate, sneaky plan to do just that.
“Micawber’s dull life, with its tedious toils,
All at once seemed a hundred times duller,
As he straddled a palette and squeezed out some oils,
And discovered the wonders of COLOR!”
“By morning Micawber was finally done
And so proud that he practically fainted,
He’d been looking at paintings from day number one,
But never a painting he’d painted.”
“He daubed at a canvas with cadmium green,
Employing his tail as a brush.
Then magenta, vermilion, ultramarine,
Alizarin crimson, and bright tangerine;
Such a radiant rainbow he never had seen-
So splashy and lavish and lush!”
Micawber eventually opens his own art gallery in the old Carousel’s cupola.
The “animated” expressions are priceless!
“So if some July you should chance to pass by
A viridian Central Park dale,
Look around for a squirrel with a gleam in his eye
And some paint on the tip of his tail.”
I love this book for its clever rhyming verse, humor and great vocabulary. The beautiful Norman Rockwell type illustrations are a treat for all ages. Every little artist will delight in this hilarious tale. Who knows? Micawber might just inspire the next Rembrandt or Picasso of our generation. Hope you and your favorite little artists enjoy this wonderful book.
(You can buy this book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Micawber-John-Lithgow/dp/0689835426/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421023481&sr=1-1&keywords=micawber)
Julie says
Adorable.
Susie says
Just love the illustrations!
Linda Jenkins says
Sounds delightful, Allie. This would be a perfect gift for my granddaughter; her birthday is just a month away. Plenty of time to purchase the book on Amazon. Thanks for the great suggestion.
nikkiana says
That book looks so cute!
Allie Taylor says
Are you far from Central Park, Nikki? Keep your eyes peeled. You might see a fluffy tailed, paint speckled rodent whizzing by on a sanitation truck…
nancy mcmahan says
The sunglassed squirrel on the canvas…my smile for the day. Thank you
Barbara child says
What a delightful story!
Barbara B. says
Just met Sir Micawber residing in Central Park — never heard of the delightful book but sure like to meet him. Sounds like a very intriguing character with astonishing ability as a budding artist. Love the characteristics and lovely drawings with bright colors, his tail is quite proficient though quite bushy for a paintbrush, also quite a linguist in his own right. Hats off to the charmer
Sandi says
I did purchase this for my grandson Calvin and he loves it, as do I. The illustrations are wonderful and every time we read it a painting session ensues.