A Portrait in Poems

Rachel

Evie

The stories paintings and early twentieth-century Paris of Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas come to life in this charming and innovative picture book biography told in clever second-person free verse.Here's an insider's tour of the fascinating lives of Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas amusingly addressed directly to the reader (“The next time you go to Paris ...”). It explores the couple's art collection their famous writer and artist friends and even their dog Basket. It also describes how Gertrude's book The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was not about Alice but was more about Gertrude herself! A celebration of creativity and the creative process this original and very readable picture book biography champions two women who dared to live unconventional lives.In playful free verse author Evie Robillard offers a unique introduction to one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century art and literature. It includes twelve child-friendly quotations from Stein's work such as: “It takes a lot of time to be a genius you have to sit around so much doing nothing really doing nothing.” Illustrator Rachel Katstaller's fun yet detailed art delightfully evokes the time and place of the text. Touching on literature history writing and the visual arts this biography offers loads of direct curriculum applications. Back matter includes a time line “snapshots” sources and an author's note with further background.>