Marguerite Makes a Book

Paris in the 1400s. A young girl named Marguerite delights in assisting her father, Jacques, in his craft: illuminating manuscripts for the nobility of France. His current commission is a splendid book of hours for his patron, Lady Isabelle, but will he be able to finish it in time for Lady Isabelle's name day? In this richly illustrated tale, Marguerite comes to her father's aid. She journeys all over Paris buying goose feathers for quills, eggs for mixing paints, dried plants and ground minerals for pigments. Then she expertly finishes the illumination of Lady Isabelle's book, to the delight of her father and his patron. This delightful book, brought to life by the finely detailed, evocative art of a renowned children's artists, was inspired by an illuminated manuscript in the collection of the Getty Museum.

Bruce Robertson is professor of art history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Kathryn Hewitt has illustrated numerous volumes for children, including Lives of the Artists and Lives of the Presidents.