Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin

By Michelle Lord, Felicia Hoshino
Paperback: $11.95

The story of Little Sap, a young Cambodian dancer who posed for artist Auguste Rodin in 1906 during the Colonial Exhibition in France.

Description

It’s 1906 and the court dancers in the Cambodian royal palace are abuzz with news of a trip to France for the Colonial Exhibition. Little Sap, a poor country girl who joined the dance troupe to give her family a better life, is apprehensive about traveling to a faraway land.

In Paris the artist Auguste Rodin is captivated by the classical beauty of Cambodian dance. He insists on sketching the dancers, especially Little Sap. As Rodin’s pencil sweeps across his paper, Little Sap’s worries melt away. She realizes how much she has grown as a dancer and how far she has come in fulfilling her special duty to her family.

With grace and imagination, this touching story relives the historical encounter between Rodin and Little Sap, weaving together the hopes and aspirations of a young girl and the beauty of artistic expression.

About the Creators

Michelle Lord

Michelle Lord fell in love with the culture of Cambodia when she traveled there to adopt her youngest daughter. She was inspired to write Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin after discovering the story behind Auguste Rodin's Cambodian Dancer sketches. Lord lives in New Braunfels, Texas, with her husband and their three children.

Felicia Hoshino

Felicia Hoshino is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer who also illustrated Lee & Low's Juna's Jar, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, and Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin. In addition to creating mixed-media images for children's books and magazines, she enjoys painting children's portraits, cooking with her husband, and decorating the walls at home with art created by her son and daughter. Hoshino lives in her native San Francisco, California, with her family. You can visit her online at felishino.com.

Awards

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

Reviews

  • "Young readers will not only enjoy the story about a brave and beautiful dancer who must leave her family, but will also get a feel for an ancient Eastern culture often not delved into in American picture books."

    - Foreword Reviews
  • "Consider this picture book a work of art."

    - Children's Literature
  • "An inviting glimpse at Cambodian dance and a sweet tidbit of art history."

    - School Library Journal
  • "The story presents a rare look at Cambodian culture through the eyes of a winning heroine."

    - Publishers Weekly

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781620142264
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2006
  • Trim Size 10 × 8.75 in
  • Weight 0.3125 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781584302483
  • Price $16.95
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2006
  • Trim Size 10.25 × 9 × 1 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1631
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Performing Arts / Dance
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Art
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / People & Places / Asia
  • Themes Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Courage, Cultural Diversity, Dance, Dreams & Aspirations, Fiction, Friendship, History & Civics, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Pride, Self Control / Self Regulation
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 10
  • Grade Range Grades 1 - 5
  • Guided Reading Q
  • ATOS Book Level 5.2
  • DRA 40
  • Interest Level Grades 1 - 5
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 860
  • Reading Level Grades 3 - 4
  • SRC 5.2
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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