Marc didn't do well in school.  He just could not see the reason for schoolwork, no matter how hard he tried. Then one day, another student was tracing pictures out of a book, and Marc was fascinated.  He got a magazine from the library, and tried tracing at home.  Then he discovered by adding a line here or a line there, it was an entirely new picture. He discovered he didn't have to trace pictures, or copy pictures, or even draw things that are real, that his pictures could be whatever he imagined...whatever he could dream.

Marc's parents were very upset.  Marc wanted to go to art school at Yehuda Pen's School of Painting & Drawing, but his parents thought that it would be a terrible waste of time.  He needed to learn skills that he could use to make a living.

Then, when his father took him to his job at the herring factory, he drew some pictures in his spare time, while he was waiting to do his assigned job. The owner saw his drawings and liked them, then he gave Marc ten rubles for the pictures.  Marc's parents decided that maybe he could go to the art school.

This is an exciting story of how the famous artist, Marc Chagall, first realized that art was his first love, and what he wanted to do with his life. Illustrated in black and white by Matthew Trueman, this story based on true events in the life of the great artist is sure to be a favorite in your children's library.  There are some wonderful conversation starters for family time - for independent reading or read-aloud bedtime story time. Kimmel includes an author's note in the back of the book, complete with a list of other reading sources.