Botticelli’s Apprentice: A Graphic Novel
Florence, Italy, 1482. At the height of the Italian Renaissance, young Mella is a gifted artist relegated to the role of tending chickens for master craftsman Sandro Botticelli. Though girls can’t be artists’ apprentices in Florence, Mella yearns to paint and practices her craft at night. A delightful graphic novel overflowing with clever illustrations and witty dialogue set against the background of everyday life in Florence, this is a lovely homage to the power of friendship, hope, perseverance, and faith in yourself. Entertaining side-stories abound. Mella’s rambunctious and expressive dog, Blue, has a trove of amusing adventures, and family life spills engagingly across the pages, equally hectic and endearing.
Husted’s deep knowledge of Renaissance Italian history and painting shines throughout. With a light touch, she offers readers an insider’s look into the process of 15th-century painting that includes a very funny nod to Botticelli’s contemporaries, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Her author’s note provides an entertaining insight into the history behind the story she has transformed into an admirable work of historical fiction. For readers ages 8-12 and adults interested in the history of Italian Renaissance painting. Very highly recommended.
