Book excerpt: This is a perfect first-facts book about Monet, telling the story of the artist and his work through the famous garden at Giverny that so inspired him. Monets lavish paintings are re-imagined in zesty, energetic and amusing ways with illustrations that younger readers will find amusing and engaging. They tell the story of Monet and his garden: his arrival; the country clothes he wore; the bright Japanese prints he collected; how the Impressionist artist painted outdoors, rain or shine; the thousands of seed-packets he ordered; his gardeners, who have to leave Giverny to go to war. Spread by spread the garden is explained and built up with Ascaris and Valentiniss original illustrations, which take Monets work as their starting point and transform it in beautiful and unexpected ways.