The Art Book for Children [Hardcover]

Editors of Phaidon Press (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Art Book for Children

A perfect introduction to art for children everywhere, The Art Book, Children’s Edition brings the clarity and innovation of Phaidon’s best-selling The Art Book to our youngest readers ever. An A to Z guide of 30 great artists – each featured on a double-page spread – and their most famous works designed for both parent and child to enjoy together. The book encourages the children to look closely at the featured works and use their imagination to understand why artists choose to create the pieces they do and in the ways that they do.

From Leonardo’s Renaissance masterpiece Mona Lisa to Andy Warhol’s iconic Marilyn, from Jeff Koons’ exuberant, flower-encrusted Puppy to Botticelli’s beautiful, flower-strewn Primavera, 30 works have been selected from The Art Book especially for this edition, chosen for their vital importance in art history as well as their appeal to children.

The giants of art history – Van Gogh, Matisse, Rembrandt, Turner and Velázquez – are all here, but this edition also offers its readers an introduction to challenging, recent artists including Cindy Sherman and Donald Judd. The Art Book, Children’s Edition makes this broad, exciting selection of 30 key works across the history of art clear and accessible to children from age seven and upwards, but will be of interest to readers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–Large color reproductions expose readers to a wide variety of art, from the best-known paintings of the 14th and 15th centuries to contemporary photographs and wrap art. European, Asian, and American art is included in the more than 30 discussed works. Illustrations are arranged to fill single pages, spreads, and small squares. The text, at times calligraphic, becomes part of the art as it invites viewers to take more than a cursory look. Questions encourage readers to observe details, while statements of opinion help to provoke new thoughts and elicit emotional responses to the pieces. Because the book is not arranged by chronology, medium, or style, readers have the option to skip around, to pick and choose the works to study–much like visiting favorite paintings in a museum. A concluding section gives the size, location, and dates of the works and the artists birth and death dates. The book will stimulate discussion and a higher level of appreciation of art.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal

Its deceptively comprehensive title notwithstanding, this is a reference book of the first rank. A dictionary of 500 painters and sculptors from the early Renaissance to the present day, it is oddly egalitarian in that each and every artist is given identical emphasis: one page, one reproduced work, and one paragraph of text. This uniformity avoids hierarchy and hagiography, leaving the reader with an unprecedented freedom of interpretation. The well-written captions are informative, and cross references to related artists accompany the short articles. While at first glance this appears to be a one-volume encyclopedia, it is in fact much more; thumbing through it is like walking through a fine museum, encountering new work and savoring the juxtapositions. There are some omissions worth noting, e.g., Andrea del Sarto, David Park, and the entire medium of photography. More conspicuous is the decision to exclude art (e.g., architecture, ancient art) that cannot be attributed to a single creator. Still, the unnamed editors have been exceptionally perspicacious in selecting the individual works to represent an artist's entire oeuvre. A fine sourcebook; recommended for all collections.
Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714845302
• ISBN-13: 978-0714845302
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Art > History

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We LOVE this book!, January 2, 2006

By 

L. M. Barnes "michiganlaw" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art Book for Children (Hardcover)

I was slightly reluctant at first to purchase this book - I thought it might not be one of our son's favorites at bedtime (4 1/2 years old). (He's your typical boy - loves books about cars, tractors, dump trucks, etc) Boy, was I wrong! The first night we sat down to read it, we both had a blast! This book does such a nice job of explaining art to children, in terms that he understands, that he was excited about reading it the next night. We went through the book the first time just flipping pages to look at the artwork, and stopping to read the details of the ones he found interesting at first. It was fun for me as a parent to learn what he finds interesting in art. I would recommend this book 100%!

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!!, January 18, 2006

By 

Skip Wild Harrington "Skip Wild Harrington" (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art Book for Children (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my grandchildren, a boy and a girl ages 2 1/2 and 5. Not only are they thrilled with it, their parents are enchanted. This book should be read by everyone! It's a marvelous primer and guide to the world of art, with pictures of some of the world's most famous art treasures and amazingly interesting explanations of why these particular pieces have endured. If you want your children or grandchildren to learn about what makes art relevant, this is the book for them! It should be sold in every art museum in the world.

My grandchildren have several other books about art, but none is as erudite and entertaining as this. Trust me, your children will learn some wonderful stuff . . . and so will you. I can't recommend it highly enough. Fabulous!

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Art for Kids, October 10, 2006

By 

Tim Witort "TRW" (Delhi, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art Book for Children (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my kids who were 6 and 10 at the time. I was pleasantly surprised by the scope and variety of art covered in this book. Several well-chosen (nothing gory or disturbing to children) pieces of art are presented in nice, full color reproductions. The authors then point out various interesting things about the piece and ask fun questions about it. All of this serves to help children not just "look" at art, but to enjoy it and appreciate it.

I heartily recommend this book for anyone who wants to dabble in art appreciation - not just children. It is so easy to read and thumb through that neither kids nor adults will realize they are learning about art. For those over 16 or so who want to take the next step, "The Art Book" is a great follow-up that features many, many more works with more scholarly comments on each.