Toulouse-Lautrec: The Moulin Rouge and the City of Light

Burleigh, Robert (2005). Toulouse-Lautrec: the Moulin Rouge and the city of light. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York.

Summary:
Burleigh uses this book to introduce an author that was previously just seen as a fixture in Parisian nightlife. He begins the book by addressing his childhood which was riddled with a disease that stunted the growth of his legs. While the rest of his body grew, his legs stayed those of a child. The author then goes on to discuss his decision to study art and the disapproval of his parents. He became a figure in the nightlife of Paris and began painting advertising posters for the nightclubs in the area. A poster for the Moulin Rouge is one of his most famous. The author moves through his rapid-growth career and ends with his death and a snippet about how his fame lives on through his work.

Author: Robert Burleigh
Illustrator: N/A
Illustrations: Artwork done by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and photographs of him and his circle of friends.
Access Features: Bibliography, Author's Note, Acknowledgments, Illustration Credits
Grade Level: 4-7
Book Design: Tall, rectangle. Oversized in honor of Lautrec's first advertising poster that was nearly 6 feet tall. Illustrations are dispersed throughout the book sometimes with more illustrations on the pages than text. End pages are a muted lime green like most of the colors he used in his paintings.
Writing Style: Somewhat formal. Very detail oriented and enumerative. Some text is larger than other writing on the page perhaps to be viewed as a flashback to his work that was oversized as well. However, he uses language that is comprehensible to children to relate the facts of Lautrec' life but makes sure the language is not beneath them.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: Art History project or to talk about propoganda and advertising history
Standards: Social Studies Standard 1: Culture; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 9: Global Connections
Awards: N/A
Author Credibility: Bibliography present. Most of the information was obtained from the Art Institute of Chicago, which would be deemed an expert establishment, and books previously written about Lautrec.
Related Texts: Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots by Robert Burleigh; Toulouse-Lautrec in Paris (Memoire) by Franck Maubert; Paul Cezanne: A Painter's Journey by Robert Burleigh; Toulouse-Lautrec: A Life (Phoenix Giants) by Julia Frey; Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre by Richard Thomson; Through Georgia's Eyes by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez

Response:
I was really intrigued by the cover of this book. It's so inviting because the colors and the artwork are so different. I really enjoyed reading about Lautrec because I've never heard of him before but also because there was a lot of interesting information about the Moulin Rouge and advertising in Paris during that time. It's a great resource to help teach advertising practices and propoganda.