Among the things Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh described in the many letters he wrote to his brother Theo were his paintings. This book created by the Metropolitan Museum of Art presents sixteen of Vincent van Gogh’s works side by side with some of the simple, often eloquent words he used to describe all or part of them in that correspondence. The paintings and their accompanying descriptions—fragments from the letters—have been arranged to create a rhyming narrative that balances his more mundane descriptions (“a window with a green shutter”) with magical ones (“twelve flowers that are light on light . . . and in my head a starry night”). Additional information about each of the paintings—which are never mundane—is provided near the volume’s end. (Ages 6–12)

Vincent van Gogh is one of the world's most famous artists. Throughout his life, he wrote to his younger brother, Theo, about his colorful, dynamic paintings. This book pairs the artist's paintings with his own words.

Van Gogh's descriptions, arranged as a simple rhyme, introduce young readers to all the colors of the rainbowand beyond. The descriptive words combine with spectacular reproductions of many of the artist's most beloved and important works to create a perfect art book for young and old alike.