The Art Book for Children by Ferren Gipson, Amanda Renshaw, and Gilda Williams Ruggi

The Art Book for Children by Ferren Gipson, Amanda Renshaw, and Gilda Williams Ruggi. Phaidon, c2005, c2007, 2024. 9781838667870

Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

Format: Hardcover

What did you like about the book?  Children will meet 60 international artists in this sumptuous collection, arranged alphabetically and featuring essays and high quality photo reproductions. The works presented are varied and beautiful, ranging from the familiar (for example, Botticelli’s Primavera, Homer’s Snap the Whip, and da Vinci’s Mona Lisa) to the less well-known (Nam June Paik’s edifice built out of TVs entitled The More, The Better, or Monir Shahroudy Farmanrarmaian’s Third Family Hexagon). Each piece is handsomely reproduced on the thick, color-saturated pages and feature sophisticated graphics and text. A woodcut by Katsushika Hokusai provides readers with information about when and where he lived, what he was known for, and an impressionistic essay that invites us into the printmaker’s world. Some pieces also include questions to stimulate discussion, in Hokusai’s case, “do you ever draw things that are special to you many times?” After looking at Red Fuji, children can turn the page and see four other very different views of this special mountain, including its appearance in the background of The Great Wave.  Because the book designers have opted for alphabetical organization, each page is a surprise, with little connection to the one before, except that all the pieces and artists chosen are spectacular and interesting. Back matter includes further questions for contemplation and discussion and encourages readers to visit their local art museum. Also included, a complete list of all the plates in the book along with each piece’s title, creation date, current location, and medium. 

Anything you didn’t like about it? No

To whom would you recommend this book?  This would be an excellent lap read for families interested in art. The breadth is enormous and varied, but the playful nature of the presentation makes reading it feel light and joyful. Not everyone loves Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings or Meret Oppenheim’s fur teacups, but anyone leafing through this is bound to find someone they do love and better yet, have never heard of before. Art teachers in elementary or middle school will enjoy having this in their classroom so that kids can browse through it after finishing a project ahead of their peers. 

Who should buy this book? Elementary and middle school, public libraries

Where would you shelve it? 701.18

Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No

Reviewer: Susan Harari, Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA

Date of review: June 9, 2024