This is a story about a young boy, bored on vacation with his parents, who goes to visit his strange but exciting neighbor, Rene Magritte. At Magritte's house he meets Salvador Dali. Throughout the meal, Magritte's paintings come to life as the boy watches is amazement.
I found this book underwhelming. The illustrations missed the mark and didn't capture Magritte's signature style. The story line was both boring and unbelievable. Why is a young boy having dinner with two surrealist painters? I like the idea, but thought the execution was poor. ( )

I've always enjoyed Magritte's work, and been intrigued by Dali's - this enchanting book will help me appreciate them even better. And of course I think it'd be great for kids. Good note at the end.

I like how Magritte explains I like to paint what I think. I paint what I dream. So, when people look at my paintings, they can see what's in my mind." Of course, much art does, or attempts to do, that - but we don't always remember to view art through that lens and this reminder is helpful.

I am ambivalent about the portrayal of the young visitor's parents. It's effective to show them as immobile & unliving in comparison the lively artists who share joy and adventure so exuberantly, but it's certainly not subtle. Of course, it's also not as disturbing as Dali's actual paintings, which presumably a child will look at after reading this." ( )

This book is about a young boy's curious mind and his visit to Magritte's house, his neighbor. When he finds himself bored and unentertained by his parent's stone like presence, he makes his way to Magritte's house. I enjoyed this story because the visit involves a lot of imagination; it is perfect for students k-3. ( )

Bored stiff at his parents' country home, a young French boy named Pierre heads over to the neighbors' house, where he observes Magritte in his studio, enjoys a marvelously surreal walk with Mr. and Mrs. Margritte and Salvador Dali, and then enjoys an entertaining dinner. Returning home to find his (extremely staid) parents essentially unmoved, he heads off to bed, where he drifts into surreal dreams...

Chosen as on of our January selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Books About Artists," Dinner at Magritte's would make an excellent introduction to the topic of surrealist art for younger children. Not only are two of this artistic school's most famous proponents features as characters - there is an afterword giving more details about each - but the illustrations themselves are clearly inspired by their work. Michael Garland's text is clearly a vehicle for the artwork, and for an exploration of Surrealism, but that's OK - the end product works just fine, both as a story and as an educational experience. Recommended to anyone looking for books to use in introducing Surrealist art to children. ( )