Suzette and the Puppy

A Story about Mary Cassatt

JOAN SWEENEY

Illustrated by

JENNIFER HEYD WHARTON

Little Suzette and her nursemaid enjoy daily walks through their picturesque neighborhood, then into the handsome park nearby. Often, they see a tall, elegant lady strolling in the park with her shaggy little puppy. It isn’t long before a comical incident brings them together, transforming Suzette and the puppy into great friends. The result of this enchanting friendship lives on to this day in an art masterpiece. For the woman was the American artist Mary Cassatt. Her painting of Suzette and the little dog – Little Girl in a Blue Armchair – now hangs in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C.

Project: Watercolor Landscape

After this fantastic story, your children will able to create wonderful watercolors using the same methods as the illustrations in Suzette and the Puppy on real watercolor paper! They will learn about different watercolor techniques, the proper use of a brush, mixing colors and the use of mastic and tape in watercolors.

The children will create their very own landscape watercolor picture and take home a fascinating piece of artwork! It will be fun discovering colors and all the wonderful surprises watercolors hold!