This picturebook takes canonical examples of classic and modern art to explore the universality of artwork in everyday life. The main character is surrounded by signifiers of art and culture – from Banksy to Salvador Dali, from Einstein to the Eiffel Tower – to suggest the meaning of art even when we are not aware of it. The text provides a powerful stimulus to consider the importance of art to the history of Europe and the idea of a European heritage and identity. Many older children will recognise the works of art in this book, and the book provides an interesting catalyst to consider whether or not this cultural knowledge is fundamental to ’Europeanness’. Indeed, the theme of art is so wide-ranging and polysemous that the text presents a window to other themes: the social and economic histories of Europe, as well as the role of the canon in the classroom.
