What Isabella Wanted

Praise

★ “Author and illustrator have a field day here celebrating the audacious acquisitiveness of a rich lady whose ‘great art [was] displayed next to bric-a-brac with no distinction between them.’ Cordell winkingly decks Isabella out in the iconic black dress captured in John Singer Sargent’s portrait. . . .”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review

★ “In What Isabella Wanted, Sibert Medalist Candace Fleming . . . boldly succeeds in creating another winning nonfiction picture book, and Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell . . . handsomely illustrates this paean to one woman’s idiosyncratic passions.”—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

“Fleming and Cordell keep [Isabella Stewart Gardner’s] independent spirit front and center as they proceed to describe her passion for collecting art, arranging it just so in her Boston mansion, and opening the doors of her home turned museum to the public.”—Booklist

“Throughout, author and illustrator find just those details about Gardner . . . and the famous theft . . . that will engage readers who might have otherwise found the subject stuffy. The text is clipped and clear; the line and water- color illustrations have a raffish edge that suits the boho Isabella.”—The Horn Book

“[Isabella Stewart Gardner’s] unconventional nature and love of art are engagingly portrayed, and the unsolved theft of her art reads as a mystery worthy of her scandalous legacy. An inviting portrait of a privileged and unconventional woman who shared herself and her art collection with the masses.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Sprightly text conveys both Isabella’s joie de vivre and whim of iron with kid-pleasing energy. Pen and ink and watercolor illustrations portray the exuberant flurry of activity around Isabella as well as the comically startled reactions of proper Bostonians to her behavior. . . .Between the flamboyant subject, the story of what she chose do with her bottomless wealth, and the unsolved theft, this book will leave young readers inspired to learn more.”—School Library Connection

“Cordell’s characteristic sketch lines, filled with mostly subdued colors, work to bring a historic feel to the story.”—School Library Journal

“In a picture book that’s as much about a place as a figure, this story of treasure gained and lost offers a fascinating look at one person’s whims made reality.”—Publishers Weekly