Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

For Walter Anderson, "to paint on Horn Island was to be in paradise." Bass's lyrical text describes Anderson's visits to the isle off the Mississippi Gulf Coast where, isolated from other people, he immersed himself in art and nature. Lewis's watercolors depict Anderson's love for his island refuge. Biographical details and impressive images of Anderson's artwork are appended. Bib.

ALA Booklist (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

During his lifetime, Walter Anderson, a twentieth-century naturalist painter from Mississippi, spent weeks alone on a deserted island in the Gulf of Mexico, living rustically and painting to realize his secret world, to bring himself and nature into one thing called art. Bass' sole focus on Anderson's adult years may limit the audience, but she clearly has a passion for Anderson's art (which she terms treasures of the Gulf Coast), and her biographical text is fluid and gentle. Lewis' lovely illustrations are well suited to depicting Anderson in the natural world, but one comes away with a much better sense of Lewis' artistic skill and style than of Anderson's. Additionally, it would have been helpful if Anderson's work had been put into greater context within American art. An extensive author's note covering the whole of Anderson's life and including reproductions of several of his works rounds out this title, which may be best suited for collections where there is regional interest or a strong emphasis on the visual arts.

School Library Journal (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 2-6 Born in New Orleans in 1903, this naturalist/painter "may be the most famous American artist you've never heard of." Anderson grew up on the coast of the Mississippi River. He is best known for his Horn Island watercolors. This wild, uninhabited island was his inspiration and refuge for weeks at a timehis only shelter, the rowboat he used to get there. He would climb trees and wade in the water to capture his subjects; "Art was an adventure, and Walter Anderson was an explorer, first class." While a museum in Ocean Springs, LA, eventually housed much of his art, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the family's personal collection, and Anderson's cottage was left in ruins. Through simple language and quirky details, Bass makes an eccentric, unknown subject exciting and accessible to children. A lengthy author's note includes a more detailed account of Anderson's unorthodox life as well as reproductions of his work. Lewis's watercolors, in the blues, greens, grays, and browns of nature, capture the isolated beauty and wildness of the island. Enrich units on American artists or the environment with this title. Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This sensitive portrait of Anderson—“the most famous American artist you’ve never heard of”—paints him as a solitary man who kept a private room hidden from his wife and children and often took his rowboat to the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s isolated Horn Island to glean inspiration. Subdued watercolors evoke the artist’s love of the natural world, as he paints the coastal setting, eats in the shade of his boat and meanders among wild hogs and raccoons. Following Anderson’s death in 1965, his wife opens the room that he kept locked, discovering “the walls were covered with paintings of a Gulf Coast day.” A powerful tribute to the lengths artists will go for their passions. Ages 6–10. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

Kirkus Reviews

A gorgeous chronicle of a versatile southern American artist. "There once was a man whose love of nature was as wide as the world. / There once was an artist who needed to paint as much as he needed to breathe." Bass's text about Walter Anderson structures some sequential sentences with parallel beginnings, creating a sense of layered depth. The story section reads lyrically, and a lengthy (ten pages!) author's note adds reproductions and useful biographical detail (mental illness, media variety, historical preservation of the art) for older readers. Superb watercolor technique, dramatic angles and moody shifts of light show the artist on beaches, in boats and on his favorite island. Anderson appears on most pages but Lewis often cleverly obscures his face, emphasizing water, wildlife and landscape over human individuality, matching Anderson's own values. The illustration of a secret room whose walls Anderson painted in oils doesn't reveal exactly what the text describes; following the bibliography, however, comes a treat—a clear photo of that exquisite hidden room, perfect for comparison with Lewis's watercolor version. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)