PARIS Archives - The Goldfish in the Chandelier

Category: PARIS

ALEXANDER THE GREAT, DECORATIVE ARTS, GRIFFINS, HOT-AIR BALLOONS, HOVLAND, MACARONS, PARIS

THE GOLDFISH IN THE CHANDELIER

Casie Kesterson

Illustrations by Gary Hovland

A different kind of adventure story, The Goldfish in the Chandelier takes place just outside Paris in the early 1800s. Uncle Henri is stuck. He has been commissioned to design a chandelier for a great house in Paris, but he can’t figure out what form it should take. His young nephew, Louis Alexandre, comes to the rescue with some dazzling ideas—inspired by Alexander the Great and the first hot-air balloon flights over Paris—that surprise them both. Together, they use a lot of imagination to create something that never existed before—something new, unexpected, and very beautiful.

This delightful story was inspired by the Gérard-Jean Galle chandelier, one of the most popular pieces in the J. Paul Getty Museum’s impressive collection of French decorative arts.

Ages seven to ten.

Formerly on staff at the Getty Research Institute, Casie Kesterson currently is a consultant specializing in matters relating to the history of collecting. Gary Hovland’s illustrations have appeared in such nationally and internationally known publications as the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. His illustrations for If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House (Simon & Schuster, 2004) won a Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award in 2005.

Buy: https://shop.getty.edu/products/the-goldfish-in-the-chandelier-978-1606060940?_pos=1&_sid=cccbc0dab&_ss=r

PARIS

A GIRAFFE GOES TO PARIS

Mary Tavener Holmes & John Harris

Illustrated by Jon Cannell

Imagine a giraffe that can sail from Alexandria, Egypt, to Marseille, France, in a boat with a special hole for her neck. Imagine a giraffe that can walk from Marseille to Paris in forty-one days, wearing stylish boots and a cape. Imagine a giraffe that captures the attention of a hundred thousand spectators in Paris as she parades through the city, inspiring paintings, poetry, porcelain designs, and even an exotic hairstyle. Imagine Belle, a gift from the pasha of Egypt to the king of France in 1827, a giraffe who made history. This book presents Belle’s true story, told in the imagined words of her devoted Sudanese caretaker, Atir, who accompanied her on her journey to Paris and stayed with her till her death eighteen years later. Illustrated with artifacts and paintings from the nineteenth century and with Jon Cannell’s jaunty artwork, Belle’s remarkable story both captivates and informs. An author’s note and pronunciation guide are included.

Buy: https://a.co/d/eHIvEuI