Matisse: Magician of Color

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Feiwel & Friends

(MacKids)

(pub. 10.14.2025)

40 pages

Ages 2 - 5

Author and illustrator: Derek Desierto

Character: Henri Matisse

Overview:

" Henri Matisse loved color. He dreamed of being an artist. Even after his father pushed him to study for a 'serious' job, Henri followed his heart and went to art school. Color was all around him!

After a grueling illness, Henri had to reinvent the way he made art. And what he created became even more magical."

Tantalizing taste:

"With a few snips of his scissors,

interesting shapes started to appear.

Henri realized that he was drawing

with scissors.

He soon turned his studio

into a beautiful garden!

A swimming pool!

Even a jazz club!

His friends remarked that his studio

was like a magician's cave. Henri was a

magician of color!"

And something more: The author-illustrator, Derek Desierto, shares in A Note from the Author: "Matisse's remarkable sense of color and his innovative cutouts have been constant sources of inspiration for me...

But what I love the most is Matisse's unwavering passion and determination. Despite numerous health setbacks, he continued to create. When he could no longer paint, he turned to paper and scissors. His ability to 'make do' with what he had reminds me that creativity knows no bounds...

Just as Matisse did, may we all find our own ways to create and express ourselves, no matter the obstacles in our path."