Customer Reviews

I Spy Shapes in Art

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I Spy Shapes in Art is a great introduction for young children into the world of art. Each two-page spread contains, on the lefthand page, the words "I spy with my little eye and a certain shape to look for. The right hand page contains a large reproduction of a work of art by a variety of artist from around the world.
This is a neat twist on the old game I Spy. A complete art lesson is one simple picture book.
I would recommend this to kids ages 4-8 who are interested in art. It's great for children and parents to look at and discuss together.

[This review first appeared in the "Ephrata (Pa.) Review."]

This book grew out of a version of the kid's game "I Spy" the author played with her children--using paintings by renowned artists such as Matisse, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Andy Warhol.

"By making these paintings accessible," she writes, "I was enabling my children to build up a store of images in their own minds which must inevitably lead to some interest in fine art."

Whether or not that happens, it's still fun to locate various geometric shapes in the artwork, such as an oval in Paul Klee's "Around the Fish" or a heart in Fernand Leger's "Composition with Hand and Hats."

Beautiful book! Only wish it had some more options as to what shapes you are looking for. My son was totally familiar with the book after 2 or 3 readings so we make up other shapes to look for. But still loved it!

I'm going to keep it short and sweet, it worked really well with kindergarten and first grade. It's a great interactive tool and students get to see artwork that they may not be able to see otherwise. Also, a great time filler!

I think this book points out a big problem with ordering a book that has no age rating. I was very disappointed in the simplicity of the book, and also the price was too much for the contents. I wish for a good age rating system for children's books. If I took the time to go look at every book for children that I wanted to buy, then I would buy locally. But, that is not possible because Amazon offers a huge selection that I could never access locally. So I suggest a better industry-wide age rating system for children's books.