Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin
by Michelle Lord; illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
Reviewed by Deb Clark
It’s 1906 and a young Cambodian court dancer named Little Sap travels to France with her troupe to take part in the Colonial Exhibition. While there, the exotic beauty of their traditional Khmer dance performances captivates famed artist Auguste Rodin, and he produces a series of drawings of the performers—the acclaimed Danseuse Cambodgienne sketches.
Based on these actual events, this book, a debut effort for both author and illustrator, tells the fictionalized story of Little Sap, a poor country girl who joins the royal dance troupe so her family can have a better life. Years of dedicated practice—and the rare opportunity to see her work through the appreciative eyes of the bushy-bearded artist—transform the shy, awkward child into an self-assured girl who comes to love her new home.
Hoshino’s gorgeously rich ink, watercolor, acrylic and paper collage illustrations in soothing matte shades, rife with historically accurate detail, are dreamily evocative: a golden village of thatched-roof huts nestled in a verdant green valley, an imposing steamship eclipses humble sampan boats on the aquamarine sea, soft sunlight bathes a pastel-hued cobblestone courtyard as three earnest young dancers pose for the great artist.
The work of a lesser writer would be overshadowed by illustrations such as these, but Lord’s lyrical text proves a joy to read from the first paragraph on:
Peering around the room, Little Sap saw graceful girls with skin as pale as coconut milk. Her own skin had turned drab from days under the hot sun, helping Papa in the rice fields. Her feet were rough from walking barefoot. She felt like a magpie in a pen of peacocks.
In a thoughtful touch, a foreward and an author’s note supply additional information about Cambodia and Rodin, providing readers a broader awareness of the time and circumstances surrounding the story.
This is a beautiful book.
Rating: *\*\*\*\
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