In relatively simple text, this picture book covers how the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston came to be. A persistent refrain is how Isabella did things exactly the way she wanted, regardless of how other people felt or what societal expectations were. This repeated idea is presented somewhat neutrally; on the one hand, the existence of the museum is certainly portrayed as a positive, but on the other hand, the author makes a point in the main text and in the notes to mention how Isabella's methods of gathering art sometimes crossed the line into illegal territories and definitely were examples of cultural appropriation. The book also talks about the ongoing mystery of the missing art objects after a break-in in the 1990s. Overall, this is an interesting book to give young readers a taste of the art world and provide families/classrooms with points for discussion, such as when it's appropriate to do things the way you'd like and when it's not. The illustrations are little more sketchy than I personally prefer, but they do a good job of highlighting key points in the text. ( )

I had the pleasure of visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the late 1980s, a few years before the theft that took some of its most precious and valuable works. It was nice to revisit the place through this fun and energetic tale of how the colorful and determined Gardner built her collection and museum. ( )

interesting story about a woman who broke all the rules ( )