Though underappreciated for decades, The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau (Eerdmans, $17.00) stand as a testament to the inventiveness of human imagination and continue to captivate and inspire to this day. In Michelle Markel’s picture-book biography, she emphasizes Rousseau’s lack of formal training. A forty-year-old toll collector, the artist ignored traditional techniques in his work in order to capture the vividly colorful and fantastical scenes in his mind. Despite continual rejection by critics, he continued to paint and exhibit, achieving recognition late in life from the burgeoning surrealist movement. Amanda Hall’s gorgeous illustrations paint Rousseau’s life through his own lens, turning the ordinary into the remarkable in a series of scenes that overwhelm the senses in Rousseau’s signature style. More than just an artist’s biography, this is a work of art in its own right, a book to be read and treasured. Ages 6-9. CEB