Lyme Regis: Laurence Anholt Small Stories of Great Artists

Lyme Regis-based author and illustrator Laurence Anholt began his beloved series about great artists and the real children who knew them 30 years ago.

Now an anthology edition of Small Stories of Great Artists combining eight of these stories has been released in a launch at Lyme Regis Bookshop.

Mr Anholt lives with his artist wife, Catherine in an upside-down eco-home near Lyme Regis, keeping bees and practising Buddhism

These classic tales of Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and many other geniuses of Western art have provided a springboard into a lifetime’s love of art, selling millions of copies around the world.

A look inside Small Stories of Great Artists (Image: Supplied)

The stories have been adapted in many forms including ballet, opera, Braille editions for blind and partially sighted children, and a full-scale stage musical in Korea.

Alongside Anholt’s dazzling watercolour illustrations, this anniversary edition includes dozens of high-quality reproductions of the artists’ work, child-friendly biographies of the artists, and interactive questions for young readers.

Each story is closely based on historical events and extensive research. In many cases, Anholt visited the artists’ homes and studios, walking in their footsteps and interviewing their relatives.

He was granted private access to Monet’s house in Giverny and became close friends with Sylvette David (now Lydia Corbett), Picasso’s famous Girl with a Ponytail.

Inside the anthology edition (Image: Supplied) In order to make the artists and their worlds accessible to young readers, Anholt employs a unique device in which the events are seen through the eyes of a child protagonist who actually knew the artist.

In this way, readers are able to “piggyback” through the story, and artists who might otherwise be inaccessible become humanised. On a subconscious level, the reader absorbs many inspirational themes such as kindness, self-esteem, perseverance, creativity, and courage.

This volume features the following artists and their stories: Van Gogh and the Sunflowers, Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, Cézanne and the Apple Boy, Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail, The Magical Garden of Claude Monet, Tell Us a Story, Papa Chagall, Degas and the Little Dancer, Leonardo and the Flying Boy.

Small Stories of Great Artists by Laurence Anholt is suitable for young readers aged five and above and is priced at £30.