first Discover Vincent van Goat then Discover Vincent van Gogh
One key purpose for my picture book, Vincent van Goat and His Starry Night, is to broaden a child’s world to include art appreciation and understanding of creativity that can bridge into further learning about the master artist, Vincent van Gogh. This is a springboard, so I would love to give you some ideas of how you could utilize my book in your home or classroom.
Vincent van Goat and His Starry Night is a hilarious barnyard story centered around an artistic goat. But at the beginning of the book Vincent is uninspired and doesn’t know what to paint! As the story unfolds, Vincent finds himself in a challenging situation that requires compassion and action…. Which leads to creative connections and inspiration for his final masterpiece: a depiction of himself and the chicks he cared for… which looks vaguely like van Gogh’s masterpiece.
So how do you build the bridge from van Goat to van Gogh?
start with Questions
One simple method you could adapt to the age of your child is to ask questions that encourage deeper thinking. Within the text of the picture book, there are already some questions Vincent poses. Make sure to pause and respond!
Some additional questions that can spark creativity after you read this book could include:
-How do you feel when you look at the stars and the night sky?
-If you don’t know what to create, how do you find an idea?
-How did Vincent use his inspiration to create?
-Can you think of some of God’s creations that are beautiful?
Expand further with biographical texts
Another step you could take if you’d like to go further than thinking about creativity into art history is to supplement with biographical texts.
You could create that bridge by explaining, “This page looks really familiar to me. Have you ever seen the famous painting ‘The Starry Night’? Let me show you a book about it and you can tell me what you think.”
Some texts could include:
Meet Vincent van Gogh by Read with You Center
The Met Vincent van Gogh: He saw the world in vibrant colors by Amy Guglielmo
Portrait of an Artist: Vincent van Gogh: Discover the Artist
Behind the Masterpieces by Lucy Brownridge
Or for more depth on art history:
Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionists for Kids by Carol Sabbeth
Creative Encouragement
Vincent van Goat and His Starry Night will also inspire your child to get creative.
You can create a bridge by saying, “I know you are creative like Vincent van Goat. He painted what he saw in nature. Would you like to create like he did?”
If your child is more independent, you could set them up with painting supplies and allow them to explore. If your child wants more structure, you could print off the activity pages from my website and use the coloring page and puzzles as a starting point to create.
Concepts touched on in Vincent van Goat and His Starry Night:
Creative process
Learning to see ordinary things with new eyes
A model for finding inspiration
A silly goat who is set loose with a paint brush
A full spread depicting the night sky like unto van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night”
A goat who creates his own version of the master piece
Concepts not included in Vincent van Goat and His Starry Night :
Extensive art history
Human dialogue
Background information on the painting The Starry Night
Biographical info on Vincent van Gogh
Is this book educational?
By itself, Vincent van Goat and His Starry Night isn’t informational. However, it is immensely useful in bridging the gap between the master painter and a child who is navigating their own experiences in the natural world and creativity. Which is what education is all about! Creating connections that cultivate growth. As your child’s guide, you could expand that further with questions, biographical texts, and creative projects, but Vincent van Goat offers a great place to start.
