The Starry Night

In another picture book in the burgeoning ordinary-child-meets-famous-artist genre, a ghostly Vincent Van Gogh pops up in contemporary Manhattan to fascinate a boy by doing what he does best: paint. Bernard guides the mysterious artist from ""far away"" through an uninvitingly rendered pen-and-ink city; color insets include the visitor's colorful paintings--of the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge and other New York icons--in a sort of ""Arles meets Manhattan"" fantasy. If less than stylistically authentic, Waldman's (The Never-Ending Greenness) paintings cleverly imitate Van Gogh's feeling for color and replicate his eagerness to depict every aspect of his environment. There's not much in the way of story line (What occasions Van Gogh's appearance, and why does he leave when he does?); instead, the plot serves as a vehicle for Waldman to try on Van Gogh's style. All ages. (Oct.)