Henri Matisse created some of his most exquisite works by cutting shapes out of paper. Delightfully entertaining and playfully inventive, his drawings with scissors are also a superb introduction to the most basic artistic concepts: colour, line, and form. This engaging and accessible look at Matisse s cut-outs, arguably the highlight of his magnificent career, follows the artist as he goes in search of pure forms of expression. Illustrated with beautiful reproductions of Matisse s most famous works, the book relates an imaginary tale about how the colours and shapes created by Matisse come to life, carrying the reader off into the artist s fantasy world. It reflects Matisse s spontaneity, his love of bold colours, and his seemingly effortless ability to capture movement on paper, which make him an artist of great appeal to children. Fun and easy-to-follow, this exploration of Matisse s cut-outs invites children of all ages to draw with scissors just like the artist, using the sheets of paper printed in Matisse-inspired colours included in the book.