The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau

Multicultural and International Literature: Biography

Markel, M. (2012). The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

The book, The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, tells the very inspiring tale of the famous French artist, Henri Rousseau.  Rousseau begins the majority of his life as a toll collector, until he is almost 40 years old.  Then he decides that he would like to be an artist.  Since Rousseau has very little money and cannot afford art lessons, he teaches himself, studying the fine works of art on display at the Louvre museum.  For many years, Henri Rousseau puts his paintings into gallery shows and critics laugh at them.  Eventually, Henri begins to paint works of art that very few people laugh at, in fact, many famous artists begin to appreciate his work.  This book is an "underdog" kind of biography on a subject that isn't as hi-lighted in the classroom.

Similar to the story Noah Webster and His Words, I think the story of Henri Rousseau could be a great supplemental text to a larger topic.  For instance, if your class wanted to study famous artist or perhaps Pablo Picasso, I would say The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau would be a great addition to the study.  Children's books are a great way to help break down heavy topics for students in the upper elementary grades.  I personally enjoy stories that are written about a person who had very close ties to very famous people in history.  John Lewis In the Lead, is another story that I feel does the same thing. I plan on having a lot of supplemental texts, that help support and perhaps give a new perspective on a given topic that we are studying.