Tell Me a Picture [Paperback]

Quentin Blake (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

What’s in a painting, or an illustration? Renowned artist Quentin Blake wants to know, and to encourage young readers to explore the question, too. In Tell Me a Picture, he chooses 26 works for the stories they tell. Uccello’s grand and gorgeous Saint George and the Dragon is here, as well as works by 20th-century talents like painter Edward Hopper and illustrator Roberto Innocenti. In Tell Me a Picture, Blake's own quirky characters introduce each image, pointing out details and asking questions, encouraging engagement. Also here are short introductions to each artist and work, along with suggestions for helping children think about art without being intimidated.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 6-Believing that enjoyment of the art in picture books can be a prelude to pleasure in a museum, Blake designed an exhibit (with the same title as this book) at the National Gallery in London. The images in the show and on these pages come from European children's books and Great Britain's galleries and were chosen for their story potential. Blake's signature caricatures cavort and converse before and after each of the 26 pictures, modeling responses that invite imitation. His arrangement is alphabetical by artist, from Hendrick Avercamp to Lisbeth Zwerger. ("X," however, is an X ray of an underpainting, sure to fascinate since it is different from the surface.) Four pages are devoted to each entry. Initially, sketches of children, outlined in black and dabbed with gray/blue patches of color, carry signs that announce the artist's name. The spread that follows includes a blank, white page and then the featured art-a presentation that minimizes distraction. The fourth page provides the young visitors' emotional responses to the work. ("Nobody would buy that." "What do you think that music sounded like?") Most entries will be unfamiliar to American audiences, and some details are difficult to discern. As with any stroll through a museum, what strikes one's fancy is completely idiosyncratic. Blake's approach is an engaging path to art appreciation, with plenty of child appeal. The book concludes with illustrated and annotated attributions for each work and a list of locations/credits. A welcome addition to the realm of visual literacy for families and educators.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Children learn to read by talking about what is in the pictures first and they will want to talk about these breathtakingly atmospheric and soul-capturing illustrations because they are like magnets drawing the reader's eyes into every detail... A truly imagination-stirring read that will excite young readers, ignite their imaginations and those of the adults reading to/with them. --EYE

The exhibition at the National Gallery which accompanied this book was ground breaking in allowing the viewer to explore pictures, unhindered by verbal instruction or preconceptions about the context in which they should be seen. The mixture of gallery paintings and book exhibitions displayed alphabetically would never normally be seen together and in the book, as in the gallery, we are simply led through the alphabet from Avercamp to Zwerger by the comments of chatty, curious children. --Books for Keeps

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books (June 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845076877
• ISBN-13: 978-1845076870
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite gift to give, October 8, 2009

By 

Lauree Ostrofsky, Simply Leap life coach - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Tell Me a Picture (Paperback)

I'm in the period of life when friends are having children. I turn to books as a gift that is thoughtful and will always be the right size. Tell Me a Picture is always my first choice.

The book challenges not only a child of any age, but parents and grandparents as well. It's like walking through a museum. Each picture allows you to consider it through whatever lens of experience you may have. I'm often told how surprised my friends are by what their children see in these pictures that we might overlook as adults. I've found this gift especially profound for friends who are artists, aficionados and admirers.