The Art Book for Children

Reviewed by: 

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be.”

Of all of the things that art could be, thought provoking is what takes center stage in The Art Book for Children.

Using nearly 100 famous artworks as a base for curiosity and wonder, The Art Book for Children creates a unique insight to one simple question: “What is art to you?” Art isn’t just something dry and boring with dates and names and history to cram into memorization brain cells. Art is a conduit to feelings and deeper meanings and things that are hard to describe with words. The Art Book for Children isn’t just teaching rote art history, it’s offering a kid friendly existential lifeline.

Insisting that there are no right or wrong answers, The Art Book for Children probes young minds into thinking about paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other media from different perspectives. Is art supposed to be anything in particular? Is art supposed to be based on real life, or from somewhere in the imagination? Does art tell a story? Does it have to tell a story to be art? Can it simply be beautiful? Or does it need to have a certain shock value?

The curated art works dive into so many possibilities from a diverse variety of artists. Some of the regulars that one might expect to be in an art book include: Salvador Dalí, Edgar Degas, Jan Van Eyck, Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollock.

But these intrepid authors dig deeper with their selection process and add to the collection with another level of noteworthy artists: Cindy Sherman, Hilma Af Klint, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Clara Peeters. This is the best balance of masculine and feminine artists ever assembled in the same publication, one might argue.

Along with these fabulous women, The Art Book for Children also puts forth an international array of artists from Ghana, Iran, Japan, China, Korea, Hungary, Brazil, and Australia. Works range from ancient to contemporary. Black Americans are represented with pieces by Elizabeth Catlett, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, and Amy Sherald. It’s a well-considered and delightful selection.

Each artist follows the same format and is given either one or two page-spreads. Take Raphael, for example. He is given a mauve colored headline page with his name, date of birth (around 1482), location (Urbino, Italy), a “known for” descriptions (Italian painting, architecture, Renaissance), and a headline title: Classroom. There is then a series of questions related to the headline title. In this case, “This painting is called The School of Athens, but what kind of school could this be? Where are the desks? Where is the teacher?”

The rest of the mauve colored page describes the painting and expands on the classical elements of the painting. The facing page is a full color detail of part of the larger The School of Athens painting. Turning the page reveals the full image of the painting and further text about who’s who in the picture and why this painting is significant. It’s all intriguing and completely manageable information for seven to 12 year old readers.

There’s plenty to like about this book. The most obvious difference between The Art Book for Children and other art history books is, refreshingly, a complete disregard for chronology. Artists are tossed into a mixed salad order regardless of any categorization or timeline. There’s no talk of the development of art history or techniques or avant-garde controversies over the centuries. This is not meant to be critical. Truth be told, it feels a bit rebellious and freeing to view art without all those confines mucking about in the discussion.

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be. It will provide space for kids to figure out what art could possibly be for them personally as they grapple with some fun and unexpected questions.   

Long Description: 

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be.”

Of all of the things that art could be, thought provoking is what takes center stage in The Art Book for Children.

Using nearly 100 famous artworks as a base for curiosity and wonder, The Art Book for Children creates a unique insight to one simple question: “What is art to you?” Art isn’t just something dry and boring with dates and names and history to cram into memorization brain cells. Art is a conduit to feelings and deeper meanings and things that are hard to describe with words. The Art Book for Children isn’t just teaching rote art history, it’s offering a kid friendly existential lifeline.

Insisting that there are no right or wrong answers, The Art Book for Children probes young minds into thinking about paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other media from different perspectives. Is art supposed to be anything in particular? Is art supposed to be based on real life, or from somewhere in the imagination? Does art tell a story? Does it have to tell a story to be art? Can it simply be beautiful? Or does it need to have a certain shock value?

The curated art works dive into so many possibilities from a diverse variety of artists. Some of the regulars that one might expect to be in an art book include: Salvador Dalí, Edgar Degas, Jan Van Eyck, Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollock.

But these intrepid authors dig deeper with their selection process and add to the collection with another level of noteworthy artists: Cindy Sherman, Hilma Af Klint, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Clara Peeters. This is the best balance of masculine and feminine artists ever assembled in the same publication, one might argue.

Along with these fabulous women, The Art Book for Children also puts forth an international array of artists from Ghana, Iran, Japan, China, Korea, Hungary, Brazil, and Australia. Works range from ancient to contemporary. Black Americans are represented with pieces by Elizabeth Catlett, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, and Amy Sherald. It’s a well-considered and delightful selection.

Each artist follows the same format and is given either one or two page-spreads. Take Raphael, for example. He is given a mauve colored headline page with his name, date of birth (around 1482), location (Urbino, Italy), a “known for” descriptions (Italian painting, architecture, Renaissance), and a headline title: Classroom. There is then a series of questions related to the headline title. In this case, “This painting is called The School of Athens, but what kind of school could this be? Where are the desks? Where is the teacher?”

The rest of the mauve colored page describes the painting and expands on the classical elements of the painting. The facing page is a full color detail of part of the larger The School of Athens painting. Turning the page reveals the full image of the painting and further text about who’s who in the picture and why this painting is significant. It’s all intriguing and completely manageable information for seven to 12 year old readers.

There’s plenty to like about this book. The most obvious difference between The Art Book for Children and other art history books is, refreshingly, a complete disregard for chronology. Artists are tossed into a mixed salad order regardless of any categorization or timeline. There’s no talk of the development of art history or techniques or avant-garde controversies over the centuries. This is not meant to be critical. Truth be told, it feels a bit rebellious and freeing to view art without all those confines mucking about in the discussion.

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be. It will provide space for kids to figure out what art could possibly be for them personally as they grapple with some fun and unexpected questions.   

Reviewed by: 

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be.”

Of all of the things that art could be, thought provoking is what takes center stage in The Art Book for Children.

Using nearly 100 famous artworks as a base for curiosity and wonder, The Art Book for Children creates a unique insight to one simple question: “What is art to you?” Art isn’t just something dry and boring with dates and names and history to cram into memorization brain cells. Art is a conduit to feelings and deeper meanings and things that are hard to describe with words. The Art Book for Children isn’t just teaching rote art history, it’s offering a kid friendly existential lifeline.

Insisting that there are no right or wrong answers, The Art Book for Children probes young minds into thinking about paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other media from different perspectives. Is art supposed to be anything in particular? Is art supposed to be based on real life, or from somewhere in the imagination? Does art tell a story? Does it have to tell a story to be art? Can it simply be beautiful? Or does it need to have a certain shock value?

The curated art works dive into so many possibilities from a diverse variety of artists. Some of the regulars that one might expect to be in an art book include: Salvador Dalí, Edgar Degas, Jan Van Eyck, Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollock.

But these intrepid authors dig deeper with their selection process and add to the collection with another level of noteworthy artists: Cindy Sherman, Hilma Af Klint, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Clara Peeters. This is the best balance of masculine and feminine artists ever assembled in the same publication, one might argue.

Along with these fabulous women, The Art Book for Children also puts forth an international array of artists from Ghana, Iran, Japan, China, Korea, Hungary, Brazil, and Australia. Works range from ancient to contemporary. Black Americans are represented with pieces by Elizabeth Catlett, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, and Amy Sherald. It’s a well-considered and delightful selection.

Each artist follows the same format and is given either one or two page-spreads. Take Raphael, for example. He is given a mauve colored headline page with his name, date of birth (around 1482), location (Urbino, Italy), a “known for” descriptions (Italian painting, architecture, Renaissance), and a headline title: Classroom. There is then a series of questions related to the headline title. In this case, “This painting is called The School of Athens, but what kind of school could this be? Where are the desks? Where is the teacher?”

The rest of the mauve colored page describes the painting and expands on the classical elements of the painting. The facing page is a full color detail of part of the larger The School of Athens painting. Turning the page reveals the full image of the painting and further text about who’s who in the picture and why this painting is significant. It’s all intriguing and completely manageable information for seven to 12 year old readers.

There’s plenty to like about this book. The most obvious difference between The Art Book for Children and other art history books is, refreshingly, a complete disregard for chronology. Artists are tossed into a mixed salad order regardless of any categorization or timeline. There’s no talk of the development of art history or techniques or avant-garde controversies over the centuries. This is not meant to be critical. Truth be told, it feels a bit rebellious and freeing to view art without all those confines mucking about in the discussion.

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be. It will provide space for kids to figure out what art could possibly be for them personally as they grapple with some fun and unexpected questions.   

Long Description: 

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be.”

Of all of the things that art could be, thought provoking is what takes center stage in The Art Book for Children.

Using nearly 100 famous artworks as a base for curiosity and wonder, The Art Book for Children creates a unique insight to one simple question: “What is art to you?” Art isn’t just something dry and boring with dates and names and history to cram into memorization brain cells. Art is a conduit to feelings and deeper meanings and things that are hard to describe with words. The Art Book for Children isn’t just teaching rote art history, it’s offering a kid friendly existential lifeline.

Insisting that there are no right or wrong answers, The Art Book for Children probes young minds into thinking about paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other media from different perspectives. Is art supposed to be anything in particular? Is art supposed to be based on real life, or from somewhere in the imagination? Does art tell a story? Does it have to tell a story to be art? Can it simply be beautiful? Or does it need to have a certain shock value?

The curated art works dive into so many possibilities from a diverse variety of artists. Some of the regulars that one might expect to be in an art book include: Salvador Dalí, Edgar Degas, Jan Van Eyck, Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollock.

But these intrepid authors dig deeper with their selection process and add to the collection with another level of noteworthy artists: Cindy Sherman, Hilma Af Klint, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Clara Peeters. This is the best balance of masculine and feminine artists ever assembled in the same publication, one might argue.

Along with these fabulous women, The Art Book for Children also puts forth an international array of artists from Ghana, Iran, Japan, China, Korea, Hungary, Brazil, and Australia. Works range from ancient to contemporary. Black Americans are represented with pieces by Elizabeth Catlett, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, and Amy Sherald. It’s a well-considered and delightful selection.

Each artist follows the same format and is given either one or two page-spreads. Take Raphael, for example. He is given a mauve colored headline page with his name, date of birth (around 1482), location (Urbino, Italy), a “known for” descriptions (Italian painting, architecture, Renaissance), and a headline title: Classroom. There is then a series of questions related to the headline title. In this case, “This painting is called The School of Athens, but what kind of school could this be? Where are the desks? Where is the teacher?”

The rest of the mauve colored page describes the painting and expands on the classical elements of the painting. The facing page is a full color detail of part of the larger The School of Athens painting. Turning the page reveals the full image of the painting and further text about who’s who in the picture and why this painting is significant. It’s all intriguing and completely manageable information for seven to 12 year old readers.

There’s plenty to like about this book. The most obvious difference between The Art Book for Children and other art history books is, refreshingly, a complete disregard for chronology. Artists are tossed into a mixed salad order regardless of any categorization or timeline. There’s no talk of the development of art history or techniques or avant-garde controversies over the centuries. This is not meant to be critical. Truth be told, it feels a bit rebellious and freeing to view art without all those confines mucking about in the discussion.

The Art Book for Children is a simple, effective and colorful presentation of all the potential that art can be. It will provide space for kids to figure out what art could possibly be for them personally as they grapple with some fun and unexpected questions.