Bridget's Beret

This is a very sweet and humorous story about a little girl who believes her artistic talent comes from the beret she always wears when she is drawing. One day, a wind absconded with her hat so, "She filed a Missing Beret Report" and then tries a series of other hats to see if she can get inspired, "But she wasn't the least bit inspired by any of them". "So Bridget gave up and did what any self-respecting artist would do, she cried and pouted and sulked and generally felt sorry for herself"; in a cute aside, the author explains a terms used in the story - artist's block. The solution is delightful. The exuberant ink and colored pencil drawings reflect brilliantly the art of the young artist, and her many expressive actions in multiple vignettes. This is a wonderful book to share with young children.

Bridget loved to draw and even when someone offered her something as special as an ice cream, she simply couldn't seem to pull herself away from her work. She had a black beret plopped quaintly askew on her head and her tongue stuck out ever so slightly so she could concentrate on her drawing. There were beautiful pictures hung up all over the walls for everyone to enjoy. Her "favorite place to draw was outdoors" sitting at a green picnic table with her art supplies all around her because "when she was outdoors, drawing all the things around her, Bridget felt like she was right where she belonged." And that she was. She had many permanent works of art that were hung on the fridge and the walls, but she also had chalk drawings that washed away when the rains came. Of course her most important art supply was her black artist's beret that had that "certain `je ne sais quoi,'" but one day a gust of wind took it away from her and it was lost. A light suddenly went out of her life and Bridget couldn't seem to draw any more. No one could find the beret and she no longer could draw because no other hat would do. How was she ever going to get over the loss of her beret? Was she ever going to be able to draw again? This tale of Bridget and her problem with an "artist's block" is utterly charming and amusing. Bridget's passion for something she is very good can be seen in many children. Some children just love to do things such as drawing, dancing, or singing to the exclusion of other things. Her creativity is lovingly brought out in the artwork where her emotion and passionate love for her art can be seen in the subtle changes in her facial expressions. If you have a budding artist, or a youngster who is passionate about their creative abilities, this is one book you may wish to consider!

A very well written, beautifully illustrated tale of creativity lost and regained. I enjoy the small jewels hidden in the pictures, and the way Bridget rediscovers her talent. I wonder if this would help a child who lost a loved one rediscover their inner worth?

If you've read Tom Lichtenheld's children's books, you know he can craft wacky, silly books full of humor. Examples: the brilliant 'Everything I Know About Pirates' and 'What Are You So Grumpy About?' But this book is much softer, much sweeter, and much more personal. Bridget is a young girl entranced by art, so much so that even ice cream would be a distraction. Her arty beret gives her power, but when the beret blows away in a gust of wind, she is lost. She can't find the beret and she can't create art. She sulks. Can she ever be happy again? Well, of course she can. It's a sweet book, very much pointed at art and the artist in us all.