The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art

Illustrated by Mary GrandPre
Ebook (EPUB FXL CPB)
On sale Feb 11, 2014 | 40 Pages | 9780307978509
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile 630L | Fountas & Pinnell Q
A Caldecott Honor Book

Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers—like a proper artist.
 
But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound—the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! And as he grew older, he continued to hear brilliant colors singing and see vibrant sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint . . . music?
 
In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors—and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box.
 
Backmatter includes four paintings by Kandinsky, an author’s note, sources, links to websites on synesthesia and abstract art.
  • AWARD
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    California Young Reader Medal
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2016
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • SELECTION | 2015
    Teachers' Choice Award
  • HONOR | 2015
    Randolph Caldecott Medal
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2015
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Notable Children's Books
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
New York Times, January 29, 2014:
"GrandPré employs muted purples and blues to depict Vasya’s dull childhood world. Once he starts painting, the pages come alive with bright swirls of color that fly around his head like strands of melody…Even those who aren’t inspired to visit a museum will take away the lesson of Kandinsky’s life: Listen to what excites you and follow its call.”

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2013:
"Rosenstock's prose strikes a balance between lightheartedness and lyricism. GrandPré’s paintings conjure up an entire epoch...breathing life into all the characters."

Starred Review, Booklist, January 1, 2014:
"Richly colored, large acrylic paint and paper collage pictures illustrate the life of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the first painters of abstract art...The rich word choice is a delight: pistachio, cobalt, and saffron introduce readers to colors while hissing, blaring, and whispering reveal the sounds of the colors...This is a beautiful blend of colors, music, and life."

Starred Review, Kirkus, December 1, 2013:
“A rich, accomplished piece about a pioneer in the art world.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, February 2014:
"The book offers diverse potential for different types of study, whether one is reading for information or for pleasure. Outstanding.”

The Huffington Post, March 20, 2014:
"The fantastic illustrations in this book will speak to the creative child and the story of breaking free from convention and finding your own path will speak to the child who dreams of things not yet seen."

The Horn Book, January/February 2014:
"Concentrating primarily on the artist as a child and young adult, Rosenstock takes known events and embellishes them with dialogue and specific sounds for the colors. GrandPré does a fine job showing color and sound as abstractions while presenting the artist and his surroundings in a more realistic manner."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2014:
"The story of a young kid who wants to shake things up will appeal to many junior artists, and the details of Vasya’s sonic joy in color may inspire further artistic exploration...An author’s note gives more details about Kandinsky’s life, and a quartet of Kandinsky paintings are reproduced alongside it."
Barb Rosenstock is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint BoxVincent Can't SleepThrough the Window, and Mornings with Monet, as well as many other books. Her most recent book, Mystery of the Monarchs, is a 2023 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Title and a Junior Library Guild Selection. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two big poodles. Barb has always lived near the Great Lakes, and wrote this book to satisfy her lifelong curiosity in their formation. View titles by Barb Rosenstock
© From the author
For as long as I can remember, I have felt a strong connection to animals. I enjoy learning about them, caring for them, and of course, when ever possible, drawing them. That’s why illustrating The Carnival of the Animals was such a joy. It was great fun figuring out what each animal should look like based on how the poems described them, and listening to the classical music while I drew each one helped a great deal. I believe animals all have unique personalities and abilities, and if we are observant, we can learn a great deal from them.
 
The first animal I ever truly connected with was my dog Skippy. He was a mix of rat terrier and Jack Russell. He was white with black spots. I was eight years old when we found him at the animal shelter in Bloomington Minnesota, the town I grew up in. The day we got him, we surprised my mom when we went to the grocery store where she was working as a cashier. We went through her checkout line to buy Skippy’s first bag of dog food. Needless to say my mom was not very happy with us that day, and I don’t recommend ever surprising a parent that way with a new pet . . . but the good news is, she ended up loving Skippy as much as the rest of us did.
 
Skippy and I had a very special relationship. At times it felt like we were actually talking to each other, especially when he would jump up into my lap, tilt his head and point just one ear up. It was as if he was just waiting for me to suggest something we could play together. One of our favorite things to do was to play hide-and-seek. There was an old oak tree that was perfect for climbing in the back yard. Well, no matter how often Skippy and I played hide-and-seek, I would always use the tree as one of my hiding places. I remember climbing up as high as I could go, while Skippy was wandering around in the front yard. After positioning myself comfortably in the highest branches, I would call, “SKIPPY. . . COME AND FIND ME!” Then I would hear the jingle of his dog tags, and wait and watch for him to come around to the back yard. I had a good view, peeking through the green clumps of leaves. As he got closer, I would call again and he would come running to the tree, never looking up, just circling the base, looking confused. Then he would run and sniff and snoop under bushes, behind the shed, or on the swing set. Finally, after a few more calls and more searching, I would quietly sneak down to the lowest branch and then jump to the ground, yelling, “HEEEERRRRE I AMMMM!” He would come running, so excited to see me, seeming so surprised that I had been hiding in the big oak. The funny thing is, no matter how many times I hid in that old oak tree, he never looked up to see me there. He never remembered that I always hid in the tree . . . or did he?
 
Today I wonder if Skippy always knew. Perhaps he was just letting me stay there while he pretended to hunt for me in other places? Skippy knew how to be a good sport and how to play with vigor. He taught me how to find enjoyment in the little things.
 
I hope you enjoy meeting the characters in The Carnival of the Animals. Perhaps you too will make a special connection. View titles by Mary GrandPre

Educator Guide for The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

A Caldecott Honor Book

Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers—like a proper artist.
 
But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound—the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! And as he grew older, he continued to hear brilliant colors singing and see vibrant sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint . . . music?
 
In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors—and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box.
 
Backmatter includes four paintings by Kandinsky, an author’s note, sources, links to websites on synesthesia and abstract art.

Awards

  • AWARD
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    California Young Reader Medal
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2016
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • SELECTION | 2015
    Teachers' Choice Award
  • HONOR | 2015
    Randolph Caldecott Medal
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2015
    Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Notable Children's Books
  • NOMINEE | 2015
    Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award

Reviews

New York Times, January 29, 2014:
"GrandPré employs muted purples and blues to depict Vasya’s dull childhood world. Once he starts painting, the pages come alive with bright swirls of color that fly around his head like strands of melody…Even those who aren’t inspired to visit a museum will take away the lesson of Kandinsky’s life: Listen to what excites you and follow its call.”

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2013:
"Rosenstock's prose strikes a balance between lightheartedness and lyricism. GrandPré’s paintings conjure up an entire epoch...breathing life into all the characters."

Starred Review, Booklist, January 1, 2014:
"Richly colored, large acrylic paint and paper collage pictures illustrate the life of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the first painters of abstract art...The rich word choice is a delight: pistachio, cobalt, and saffron introduce readers to colors while hissing, blaring, and whispering reveal the sounds of the colors...This is a beautiful blend of colors, music, and life."

Starred Review, Kirkus, December 1, 2013:
“A rich, accomplished piece about a pioneer in the art world.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, February 2014:
"The book offers diverse potential for different types of study, whether one is reading for information or for pleasure. Outstanding.”

The Huffington Post, March 20, 2014:
"The fantastic illustrations in this book will speak to the creative child and the story of breaking free from convention and finding your own path will speak to the child who dreams of things not yet seen."

The Horn Book, January/February 2014:
"Concentrating primarily on the artist as a child and young adult, Rosenstock takes known events and embellishes them with dialogue and specific sounds for the colors. GrandPré does a fine job showing color and sound as abstractions while presenting the artist and his surroundings in a more realistic manner."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2014:
"The story of a young kid who wants to shake things up will appeal to many junior artists, and the details of Vasya’s sonic joy in color may inspire further artistic exploration...An author’s note gives more details about Kandinsky’s life, and a quartet of Kandinsky paintings are reproduced alongside it."

Author

Barb Rosenstock is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint BoxVincent Can't SleepThrough the Window, and Mornings with Monet, as well as many other books. Her most recent book, Mystery of the Monarchs, is a 2023 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Title and a Junior Library Guild Selection. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two big poodles. Barb has always lived near the Great Lakes, and wrote this book to satisfy her lifelong curiosity in their formation. View titles by Barb Rosenstock
© From the author
For as long as I can remember, I have felt a strong connection to animals. I enjoy learning about them, caring for them, and of course, when ever possible, drawing them. That’s why illustrating The Carnival of the Animals was such a joy. It was great fun figuring out what each animal should look like based on how the poems described them, and listening to the classical music while I drew each one helped a great deal. I believe animals all have unique personalities and abilities, and if we are observant, we can learn a great deal from them.
 
The first animal I ever truly connected with was my dog Skippy. He was a mix of rat terrier and Jack Russell. He was white with black spots. I was eight years old when we found him at the animal shelter in Bloomington Minnesota, the town I grew up in. The day we got him, we surprised my mom when we went to the grocery store where she was working as a cashier. We went through her checkout line to buy Skippy’s first bag of dog food. Needless to say my mom was not very happy with us that day, and I don’t recommend ever surprising a parent that way with a new pet . . . but the good news is, she ended up loving Skippy as much as the rest of us did.
 
Skippy and I had a very special relationship. At times it felt like we were actually talking to each other, especially when he would jump up into my lap, tilt his head and point just one ear up. It was as if he was just waiting for me to suggest something we could play together. One of our favorite things to do was to play hide-and-seek. There was an old oak tree that was perfect for climbing in the back yard. Well, no matter how often Skippy and I played hide-and-seek, I would always use the tree as one of my hiding places. I remember climbing up as high as I could go, while Skippy was wandering around in the front yard. After positioning myself comfortably in the highest branches, I would call, “SKIPPY. . . COME AND FIND ME!” Then I would hear the jingle of his dog tags, and wait and watch for him to come around to the back yard. I had a good view, peeking through the green clumps of leaves. As he got closer, I would call again and he would come running to the tree, never looking up, just circling the base, looking confused. Then he would run and sniff and snoop under bushes, behind the shed, or on the swing set. Finally, after a few more calls and more searching, I would quietly sneak down to the lowest branch and then jump to the ground, yelling, “HEEEERRRRE I AMMMM!” He would come running, so excited to see me, seeming so surprised that I had been hiding in the big oak. The funny thing is, no matter how many times I hid in that old oak tree, he never looked up to see me there. He never remembered that I always hid in the tree . . . or did he?
 
Today I wonder if Skippy always knew. Perhaps he was just letting me stay there while he pretended to hunt for me in other places? Skippy knew how to be a good sport and how to play with vigor. He taught me how to find enjoyment in the little things.
 
I hope you enjoy meeting the characters in The Carnival of the Animals. Perhaps you too will make a special connection. View titles by Mary GrandPre

Guides

Educator Guide for The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)