Museum ABC [Hardcover]

The (NY) Metropolitan Museum of Art (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Museum ABC is a unique and colorful picture book that introduces children to more than a hundred works of art, using the alphabet. Adults and children alike will love the visual and cultural richness of this alphabetical tour through the Metropolitan Museum's collection.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Images fine and funky accompany each letter of the alphabet in three noteworthy offerings. Museum ABC from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, announces "A is for Apple" while, opposite, a full-color spread divided into quadrants presents the evidence with details from Roy Lichtenstein's Red Apple, a detail from Paul Cezanne's Apples and two other works from the museum's collection. "N" features the noses of Giorgio de Chirico (a detail from his Self-Portrait) and Nefertari Kneeling in Adoration, a detail from the subject's Egyptian tomb, among others. Back matter provides further information about each artwork. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reSchool-Grade 3-Alphabet books are a dime a dozen, and the text of this one is no different than most: "A is for apple. B is for boat." What saves it from banality is the artwork. For example, the letter "D" is illustrated with reproductions from around the world-three male dancers from 16th-century India; a fierce, masked performer of 18th-century Japan; a rather surreal-looking pair of Colombian dancers; and an Impressionistic bevy of ballerinas by Degas. It is a shame that all this outstanding art has not been given a more thoughtful and exciting layout. Each spread contains a page of text facing a leaf of details from works of art tightly and symmetrically situated in evenly divided, square slots. The reproductions themselves are excellent, often humorous, and always eye-catching, but the book itself seems mainly intended to showcase the extensive holdings of the Metropolitan Museum. Still, it is a nice introduction to famous paintings, but may be most appreciated by visitors to the museum.
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 60 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316071706
• ISBN-13: 978-0316071703
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is stunning!, March 31, 2003

By 

Ask Moxie "www.askmoxie.org" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Museum ABC (Hardcover)

My son's godmother gave it to him for his first birthday, and everyone at the party was entranced. It shows four paintings (or details from paintings) for each letter. For instance, H is for hair, and the pictures are of George Washington, a Japanese geisha, a French woman in the 18th century, and an Egyptian princess. This is a book you can look at again and again, and that adults won't tire of. A great, unusual ABC book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great keepsake book, July 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Museum ABC (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful gift for children ages 2 and up. Age 2 children (like my son) will enjoy counting the apples on the A page, for example. Some of the art includes complex scenes that school-age children may enjoy losing themselves in. The book helps teach children about art and the alphabet in an intelligent, non-cutesy fashion. Each letter has a two-page layout: one page is: "[Letter] is for [one word]" in large type, and the second page is four different artistic intrepretations of that word, like: an Egyptian mural, a Japanese woodblock print, a Renaissance canvas, and nineteenth century French painting. What a refreshing change from cartoonish, character-based children's books!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great language and art book, November 19, 2004

By 

Landers (San Pedro, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Museum ABC (Hardcover)

This book is beautiful and can be admired by adults as well as children. The child can learn ABC's and words that begin with the ABC's. For each letter there are four pictures depicted of the word it starts with on the opposite page. For example, B is for BOAT and the opposite page has four paintings of boats from the museum on the opposite page.
This book is appropriate for ages 2-5.