Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin 
By Michelle Lord
Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
9781584302483
It's 1906 and the court dancers in the Cambodian royal palace are abuzz with news of a trip to France for the Colonial Exhibition. Little Sap, a poor country girl who joined the dance troupe to give her family a better life, is apprehensive about traveling to a faraway land.
In Paris the artist Auguste Rodin is captivated by the classical beauty of Cambodian dance. He insists on sketching the dancers, especially Little Sap. As Rodin's pencil sweeps across his paper, Little Sap's worries melt away. She realizes how much she has grown as a dancer and how far she has come in fulfilling her special duty to her family.
With grace and imagination, this touching story relives the historical encounter between Rodin and Little Sap, weaving together the hopes and aspirations of a young girl and the beauty of artistic expression.
Booktalk with creators Michelle Lord and Felicia Hoshino
- Awards
-
Original Art Show
Society of Illustrators
Children's Books of the Year
Bank Street College Children's Book Committee
- Interest Level
- Grades 1 - 5
- Reading Level
- Grades 3 - 4
- Themes
- Art, Asian/Asian American Interest, Cultural diversity, Dance, Historical Interest
Michelle Lord fell in love with the culture of Cambodia when she traveled there to adopt her youngest daughter. She was inspired to write Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin after discovering the story behind Auguste Rodin's Cambodian Dancer sketches. Lord lives in New Braunfels, Texas, with her husband and their three children. Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin is her first picture book.
Felicia Hoshino lives and works in San Francisco, California.
