A very competent early read about Hokusai and the works he created, not limited to "The Great Wave", as many western people call it. The only issue really is that I needed to see the originals to know how well the artist here was actually replicating them for the purposes of the book and the narrative. But in not just fixating on the one work, and in giving us more of a full life story than even some adult books that have crossed my path and mentioned the Japanese master, this is well worth four stars. The italicised demands I try this and that for my own art's sake were not followed at all, but this is a suitable impulse for people with more ability than me.

This book is packed full of information about Hokusai, from his birth to his death. It details the process his artistic creativity took and allows the reader to really see the progress he made and the journeys he undertook.

There are also lots of really interesting tidbits of information dotted through out the bookC such as Hokusai was once struck by lightening!

The illustrations are fabulous and initiating style of Hokusai‘s later works .

Our favourite thing about this biographic book is the interjection of ideas for projects and activities which will make the whole learning experience even richer and encompassing multiple modalities of learning. A truly wonderful book which would be just as comfortable in a child’s home library as in a classroom being used for a unit of work.

This is definitely going on our wish list!

The Met Hokusai
He Saw the World in a Wave
by Susie Hodge
Earc:NetGalley
Publisher : DK Children
Publication : 04 Nov 2021


I had a great time reading this book and learning more about him and his life.
The pictures in the book are exquisite and similar to the artist's own work.
This history of the famed 18th century Japanese artist is well-written and attractively drawn. The book is packed with age-appropriate information on the artist's life and works. One thing I particularly liked about this book was the abundance of drawing prompts peppered throughout. Readers are encouraged to draw in the style of an artist they admire, to draw street scenes and people in their neighbourhood, to draw scenes from different seasons, and to do a variety of other things. The questions are presented on pages with background scenes that fit in with the artist's life and development.

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This is a clearly told and beautifully illustrated biography of the famous 18th century Japanese artist. The text is full of age-appropriate details about the artist's life and works. One thing I really enjoyed about this book (and the others in the series) are the reader drawing prompts generously scattered throughout. Readers are invited to draw in the style of an artist they admire, draw street scenes and people in their neighbourhood, draw scenes from different seasons and many more. The prompts are placed on pages with tie-in background scenes and relevant observations about the artist's life and development.
(A Special Thanks to Net Galley, Susie Hodge & DK for this Book).

As a big fan of the artist Hokusai, I really enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about him and his life. My class study Hokusai's artwork in school every year so I will definitely be purchasing this book for the classroom, to read again with them.
The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful and in a similar style to the artist's own work.

I thought that this was an enjoyable book and it was a lovely introduction to Katsushika Hokusai

The story was easy to follow and it was really nicely written and I loved the images that were used to bring his story to life

It is four stars from me for this one – highly recommended!

This title is part of a series of children’s books by DK called, ‘What the artist saw’. A brilliant collection of stories that study the lives of different artists, historical and present day, and how their art came to be.

This edition focuses on the life of Hokusai, an amazing Japanese artist in the 1700’s. I wish this book has been around a few years ago when I was using his art with my class. This edition really captured what we know about his life in a truly engaging way.

The layout and format of the book is beautiful, as with the other editions in this series. It is nice to see more of his actual works towards the end of the book. I wished they had been threaded throughout, rather than just look-alike illustrations that hint at them.

Unlike other books in this series, I do think more thought should have been given to the book’s subtitle. ‘He saw the world in a wave’, suggests that one of his most famous works, ‘The Great Wave’ has more of an influence on his story and would be spoken about more than it was.

My daughter and I were very inspired by his constant learning attitude throughout his life and it prompted us to go and find out more and look at his works closer. As with previous editions, we loved the art activity suggestions given to engage us further.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an art educator I love this series of books and this is a very welcome addition to my library. The illustrations capture kids' attention and I love the activities dotted through the book which are great to be extended for use in workshops. Keep this series coming! I love them!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.