Child's Book of Art: Discover Great Paintings, A (Hardcover)

by Lucy Micklethwait (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 5-According to the author, "A painting is like an unsolved mystery," a statement that reflects the thesis and purpose of this inspiring volume. Children are directed to look for clues and answer thought-provoking questions about 13 masterpieces. Works such as Botticelli's Primavera, Bruegel's Hunters in the Snow, van Gogh's The Bedroom at Arles, and Rousseau's Tropical Forest with Monkeys are presented on double-page spreads and introduced with brief annotations. The left-hand page provides close-ups of details from the painting and asks questions related to these images while the right-hand page presents a full-color reproduction along with facts about the artist and answers to many of the questions. For example, for van der Weyden's Saint George and the Dragon, readers are shown a detail of the castle in the background and asked, "Who do you think lives here?" Children will react spontaneously to the color, the action, and the texture of these works of art, and the inquiry method of observation will help them to develop a sensitivity to detail and analysis. Micklethwait's A Child's Book of Art: Great Pictures, First Words (1993) and A Child's Book of Play in Art (1996, both DK) are fine companion volumes.
Patricia Mahoney Brown, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Kenmore, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Art appreciation for the very young. This beautiful and fascinating book introduces children to some of the world's most famous paintings. Thought-provoking questions and fascinating answers encourage children to look closely at a painting and understand what they see. Each painting is shown in superb full color, with closer looks at telling details shown on the facing page. Simple questions and text make this the ideal introduction to art for kids.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789442833
• ISBN-13: 978-0789442833
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 10.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #567,916 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Culture for kiddies, February 19, 2001

By	Ilana Rosenberg (Israel) - See all my reviews

What a beautiful book! I bought this book for my first-grader with some hesitation since I wasn't so sure whether he would be interested in the fine arts in this era of Pokemon and Digidmon. To my surprise he loved it and wanted to go through the whole book in one sitting.

Ms. Micklethwait chose lovely, well-known paintings and she manages to guide young readers to find, understand and appreciate all the small details in these paintings, while at the same time, causing them to gain general knowledge in the process. I found my son copying down the names of the Greek gods in the Primavera painting. The then showed me that Mercurious, the messenger, has wings on his feet to speed his way. Way go go! I will be on the lookout for her other books.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paintings Explored and Explained, February 10, 2003

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Children look straight into a picture and respond instinctively. Adults who have forgotten how to do this will find it refreshing to look again through the eyes of a child."

Paintings can be unsolved mysteries to many of us. When we look at a piece of art, we might want to know why people are wearing certain items or how old the painting is and what it all means.

In this book, investigation has been made easier by pictures being taken out of the actual piece of art. So, on the right hand page, you have the complete picture and on the left, you have various pictures "cut out" of the main picture and explained.

So, when you are looking at the picture of Saint George and the Dragon, you will see a picture of the dragon and a question that says: "What do you think the dragon stands for?" On the right side, you see an answer: "The dragon is a symbol that stands for evil."

In the "Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour" you might want to know what a rose stands for or why red wax is sitting on the writing table.

Lucy Micklethwait first started creating collections of paintings for children after many years of looking at pictures with her own children. This activity introduced her children to the world of art and helped Lucy rediscover her own love of art.

Lucy has selected various paintings for different periods in history.

Contents:

How to Investigate a Painting
Saint George and the Dragon
Primavera (Spring)
The Ambassadors
Hunters in the Snow (Winter)
An Old Woman Cooking Eggs
The Dancing Couple
Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour
The Death of Major Peirson
Christ in the Carpenter's Shop
The Fog Warning
The Bedroom at Arles
Tropical Forest with Monkeys
Self-Portrait with Blue Guitar
Quick Quiz
Further Activities

Also look for:

A Child's Book of Art
A Child's Book of Play in Art
Spot a Cat
Spot a Dog

~The Rebecca Review