Reviews: Pablo the Artist

This review first appeared in The Guardian, Tuesday September 27, 2005.

   Satoshi Kitamura is renowned for his skill in combining the lively pace of the Japanese comic book with the engaging blend of things at once familiar and yet so peculiar to British picture books. In an early scene his quirkily expressive, anthropomorphic characters sit round a table drinking tea, searching for a solution to elephant Pablo's artistic block. A painting trip to the countryside and an afternoon nap bring inspiration for the artist and intrigue for child readers. Witty, thoughtful and a glorious visual treat.

By Kate Agnew and Jim Merrett.

Eloquence: Putting Books into Context

Pablo the elephant has a problem. His art club is holding an exhibition, and all he has is an empty canvas. Plagued by artist’s block, Pablo sets out for the country, in hopes of finding fresh ideas. But when he finishes his landscape, Pablo still isn’t satisfied. It may just take the ingenuity of some friendly woodland strangers to help Pablo realize his full artistic potential. Bursting with the author’s inimitable illustrations, this is an uplifting story about teamwork and artistic vision.

Reviewed by Eloquence Web.

This review first appeared online.

   Satoshi Kitamura tackles the fear of every creative person, a creative block. It happens to children as well as adults, and, in this case, it happens to Pablo the elephant. The question is - how can he overcome it? We follow Pablo from the studio out into the countryside- his friends have suggested a landscape. Still frustrated because the picture just will not come, he eats a good lunch and falls fast asleep, only in a dream to find his solution. Kitamura offers children the joy of painting and shows how the creative artist uses not only a conscious approach to what he creates, but also how his creativity is influenced by the sub-conscious. This is no sterile lesson, we feel for poor Pablo, we enjoy his friends and their attempts to help him; we relish his satisfaction at solving his dilemma, and his quiet contentment at the adulation of his friends at the gallery opening, even if he is a little embarrassed by their enthusiasm.

By Dr. Andrea Deakin from Okanaga College, Canada

"The expressiveness of the characters lends much to the telling. . . Offers a good platform from which to question children about where our ideas and inspirations come from." School Library Journal

"Kitamura imagines a character overcoming creative limitations. . . readers notice what an observant painter might neglect when crafting a natural landscape." Publishers Weekly

"Hilarious visual details and comical touches abound in this clever story that playfully flips reality." Booklist