Exploring Fine Art
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Three mice happen upon pots of paint and decide to jump in! I love to read this book out loud - the words dance as sweetly as the little mice. They do the mixing of colors for kids to explore - mess free. Although when you are done reading it, you should really get out the paint and do it yourselves!
First Book of Sushi (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger
Great, bright images for young eyes and great sing-songy rhymes that kids will remember forever. My kids loved this book when they were little and are still nostalgic about it now!
I Spy: An Alphabet in Art (I Spy Series) by Lucy Micklethwait
Gorgeous art from across the world and time – everything from Japanese woodcuts to surrealist painters. Any age will enjoy the lovely art works, but it emphasizes finding things that begin with each letter of the alphabet. This is a little different from the usual I Spy books. Do you know how the images of certain books are ingrained in your psyche and will be for the rest of your life? Imagine if THESE were the images!
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont and David Catrow
Great gooshes of color and paint along with wonderful rhymes! My friend has this book and everyone LOVES it - especially the end: " But I'm such a nut, gonna paint my.... WHAT?!"
Petit Connoisseur: Art by Karen Salmansohn and Brian Stauffer
More gorgeous images of the best works of art.
Pop Warhol's Top by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo
Not only do kids get to know great modern artists, but they get to FEEL the works of art. Andy Warhol's famous soup can has a lid that opens and feel the lettuce in Claes Oldenburg's Two Burgers. The text is a little silly, but what lovely images to have in your little ones' memories! There is a whole series of the Touch the Art books - I want them all.
The Art of Colors, For Children and Adults by Margaret Steele and Cindy Estes
There is no better way to learn one's colors than with art from emerging artists. Pure mmmmmm.
A is for artist: A Getty Museum Alphabet by John Harris
This is my kind of book! Again, it teaches with rich pieces of art - this time all from the Getty Museum. We don't live in New York, but we can take a stroll through the museum every time we read this. And I love that my kids will have these images as part of their consciousness!