Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin

Today Benjamin West is remembered because he was the father of American painting . . . but I like to remember him as the boy who wanted so very much to paint that he dug his colors out of the ground and made his brushes from his cat's tail.--Marguerite Henry. Newbery Award-winning author Marguerite Henry's beloved novel about a boy who would do anything to paint is now available in a refreshed paperback edition. Benjamin West was born with an extraordinary gift--the gift of creating paintings of people, animals, and landscapes so true to life they took one's breath away. But Benjamin is part of a deeply religious Quaker family, and Quaker beliefs forbid the creation of images.

Because Benjamin's family didn't approve of his art, he had to make his own painting supplies. The local Native Americans taught him how to mix paints from earth, clay, and plants. And his cat, Grimalkin, sacrificed hair from his tail for Ben's brushes.

This classic story from Newbery Award-winning author Marguerite Henry features the original text with gorgeous new cover art.