The review
Hello! Sorry for the radio silence. We return to our regular programming with a bumper edition. This is a monster 13-book art series that introduces some of the famous artists in the art world such as Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and more.
In preparation for his visit to the National Gallery this holiday and his fledging interest in drawing, I decided to be a bit more intentional with his "art education". I stumbled across these books on Taobao and their accessibility spoke to me.
The original series is in Japanese and created by a well-known art educator/curator who has spent the last 20 years championing art for the young. The translator is also equally illustrious, having spent the last 25 years bringing art to children as well.
The collections and artwork featured across the 13 books purportedly span over 50 museums globally with a total of 165 pieces of art showcased.
With each story, the author has identified a unique and distinct style of each artist. For Van Gogh, she chose to focus on the swirls that are observable in many of his pieces, and repeats it throughout. With a bit of repetition and rhyme, the lively language is sure to engage the little ones!
If you're new to the artist, no fear, each book includes a backstory about each artist, which makes for prep work. And pages also come with little hints and prompts for the independent and older readers. This is highly useful if you have a toddler who is very into the whys and wherefores.
We've just made it through 2 books, I do think they'll occupy his time for quite a while!