Reviews (4)

Celebration of Art
When fall comes, so do the books.It is approximated that almost 2,000 children's books will be printed this fall.Of this mass number, perhaps ahandful--a very small handful-- are actually worth reading to a young childnight after night.Bijou Le Tord's A Blue Butterfly: A Story about ClaudeMonet, is part of this handful. Monet appreciation for children!
I have always been bedazzled by Monet's painting and his home, Giverny. This book is another wonderful way to share Monet's gifts with youngchildren. As a first-grade teacher, I appreciate the ideas suggested by theteacher below who shared her method for offering Monet toyoung children.An exceptional treasure to enjoy over and over again!

Lovely little book, a great intro to Monet for the young
My 5 yr old daughter and I picked this up at the library and what a find!This is a book of delightful watercolor illustrations of Monet out in the field, in a garden, by the sea.The pictures are so pleasant and veryreminiscent of Monet's work, and the few lines that accompany the drawingsare perfect for young children. I heartily recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1840-1926    2. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    3. Art appreciation    4. Artists    5. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    6. Children: Grades 2-3    7. Juvenile literature    8. Monet, Claude,    9. Themes, motives    10. Juvenile Fiction / Art & Architecture    11. Monet, Claude   

Reviews (9)

A book every PARENT should read
The message of this book for parents is that it's ok if your child doesn't do it, whatever it may be (reading, playing baseball, painting) exactly right the first time - give your children a chance to explore and practice before judging if they have talent.
Reynolds does it again!
The Dot almost brought a tear to my eye...Ish did!I couldn't wait to share this story with my students!A great book to introduce self-esteem and character development!

"believe in what you see"
When my daughter read this she told me "It's a great book.It teaches you to believe in what you see." So, of course, I had to read it and I see now what she means.It's a lovely way to introduce children to the idea of abstract things (art and otherwise), although it seems children get the idea more easily than adults, they just don't have a word for it.And now they do: "ish". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    2. Brothers and sisters    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Drawing    6. Family - Siblings    7. Fiction    8. General    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Self-confidence    11. Siblings    12. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    13. Social Issues - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance    14. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Emotions & Feelings   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Fashion    4. Fashion merchandising    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Industries - Retailing    7. Retail Management    8. Sales & Selling - Techniques    9. United States    10. Art / Design / General    11. Fashion design    12. Sales & marketing   

Reviews (1)

Easiest books to use to learn to draw
Ed Emberly has made some wonderful books for kids and grown-ups of any age that have no drawing skills, but want to learn a simple way. His books are the easiest books to get you started if you have no previous drawing skills. He starts with a step by step illustrated lesson to draw one simple item. First a simple straight line here, then insert a circle then, then another line, step by step along the way and before you know it you have a completed drawing that you can be really proud of. I teach Cub Socuts and this artist makes the perfect book for teaching a class when you are a volunteer yourself that is not an art pro.
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Subjects:  1. Art - Drawing    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Drawing    6. Emberley, Ed    7. Juvenile Fine Arts    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Monsters in art    11. Technique    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Art / Drawing   

Subjects:  1. Art - Drawing    2. Children's 4-8 - Art & Art Instruction    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction   

Reviews (14)

The Chalk Box Kid The Greatest Book Ever
This is my favorite book ever because it was about chalk and I like to write with chalk.

The Wonderful Book!
I like this book a lot because I like to write with chalk.I would also like to have a garden.

The Chalk Box Kid
When you read this book you will be amazed! This book is amazing
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Subjects:  1. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    2. Artists    3. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Family - Multigenerational    7. Fiction    8. Garden    9. Gardens    10. Imagination    11. Readers - Beginner    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Language Arts / General   

Reviews (2)

a book to treasure
I used this book for many lessons, integrating the visual art as well as the writing component. very lovely, easy for young children to relate to, stimulates their own artisty and a lovely book to own.

"Starry, starry night"
One of the most well-known post-Impressionist artists is Vincent Van Gogh, whose paintings are filled with the brightest shades of yellow, blue and green. In a series of sixteen paintings, accompanied by the descriptive phrases Van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo, young readers can enjoy the brilliance and energy of this man's work. Van Gogh has a particular appeal for children, a welcome introduction into the world of art, as each painting is reproduced with fine detail and the assured brushstrokes Van Gogh made on his canvases. Beautifully bound, the book begins with the author's self-portrait and the facts of his birthplace and eventual move to France, where he was inspired by nature's bounty, rich color and simplicity.
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Subjects:  1. 1853-1890    2. Art - Painting    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Color in art    6. Concepts - Colors    7. Correspondence    8. General    9. Gogh, Vincent van,    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Netherlands    13. Painters    14. Preschool Informational Books    15. Juvenile Fiction / General    16. Painting & paintings   

Reviews (18)

Great story of friendship, art, and puns, too!
This terrific book recounts the rivalry and eventual friendship of Picasso and Matisse, er, ah, excuse me...I meant, Pigasso and Mootisse.The protagonists in this story live across the street from each other and first hurl insults like,"You paint like a wild beast", (that's called "fauvism" for all you art lovers or snobs out there!) while Mootisse retorts, "You are pig-headed".Throughout, the paint and puns fly.
...but what did Geckgaugin think?
Nina Laden, When Pigasso Met Mootisse (Chronicle, 1998)
When Pigasso Met Mootisse is great for kids and adults
My kids love this book, and my wife and I enjoy reading it too.It is very clever and well thought out and the art work is superb. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Farm Animals    2. Artists    3. Bulls    4. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    6. Children: Kindergarten    7. Fiction    8. Humorous Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Picasso, Pablo,    11. Pigs    12. Short Stories    13. Social Issues - Friendship    14. Social Situations - Friendship    15. Animal stories    16. History of art & art styles    17. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories    18. Life Skills & Personal Awareness, General Studies    19. Matisse, Henri    20. Picasso, Pablo    21. Picture books   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art - General    3. Children's 4-8 - Art & Art Instruction    4. Special Subjects In Art    5. Subjects & Themes - General    6. Films, cinema    7. Juvenile Nonfiction / General    8. The Arts: General Issues   

Reviews (25)

Get Jack Hamm books
If you like to draw, you can't go wrong with Jack Hamm books.They are economically priced, and each of them is a wealth of reference and how-to-draw information.I have all four of his books I know of.In addition to this one:Drawing Scenery: landscapes and seacapes; Drawing the Head & Figure; Cartooning The Head & Figure.Be advised that the style of the drawing in these books is dated, that is a bit old-fashioned, when fashion comes in to play.But the material is great.

Timeless Advice for the Beginning Animal Artist
This is a great book for learning how to draw animals, as advertised by the no-nonsense title.A junior high school art student would probably find this book challenging, and advanced art students can still glean nuggets from this richly illustrated book.For the price, this is a tremendous value compared to glossy, full-color texts that don't cover as many different kinds of animals.This book has been around for a while, but its effectiveness has not diminished, unlike some others of the author's titles.

Slim, clear & detailed- GREAT for beginners.
Great for beginners, intermediate & up. *Maybe* not best for kids beneath 4th grade. This is an *amazing* work in detail & scope. If you thought Drawing the Head and Figure was packed with information, wait till you see this slim, detailed book(!).
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Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Animals in art    3. Art    4. Art - Drawing    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    6. Drawing    7. Study & Teaching    8. Technique    9. Techniques - Drawing    10. Art techniques, equipment & materials    11. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    12. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (9)

Interesting, but some deep subject matter
While this is a beautifully illustrated book, looking to be ment for children, there are some awefully deep emotional parts in it that I skip over when reading to my 4 year old. It is a longer picture book and geared towards 2-4th graders. It's interesting and tells a lot about Picasso and his works, but could do without his subject's tormented and emotionally disturbing past.

NOT for a PreK classroom!
There are an average of 100 words on each page.

Picasso book review
Nicely illustrated, as expected however, not as exciting as Camille and the Sunflowers: A story about VanGogh. Character development should have been 5 stars. My kids liked it.
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Subjects:  1. 1881-1973    2. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    3. Artists    4. Biographical - European    5. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    6. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    7. Children: Grades 1-2    8. Children: Kindergarten    9. Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Picasso, Pablo,    12. Preschool Picture Story Books    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Art    14. Picasso, Pablo   

Reviews (15)

Herge did better later
As a child, I read all of the Tintin books in Swedish, except the first one "Tintin in the Soviets". As an adult living in the U.S., I am reading most of them again to my children, but this time in English. Herge's first three Tintin books are not as good as his later books, and this was his third book. "Tintin in Congo" is the only Tintin book that I have read that is worse than this one. "Tintin in America" portrays America with an old fashioned European prejudice that is unrealistic and unflattering. His portrayal of the Indians is borderline racist, and the plot is essentially "gangster tries to kill Tintin, Tintin miraculously escapes" repeated a couple of dozen times. In a sense Tintin is a super hero with "luck" as his super power, and this becomes tiresome. The plot is silly, and the book is certainly not a history lesson.
Disappointment in America
While not all Tintin books are "great" - this one is at the bottom of the pile.The plot is non-existent and the violence was pointless.

Tintin en Amerique
Tintin in America, the third volume in the Adventures of Tintin series, is the earliest Tintin story available from its American publisher, most likely due to the fact that its two predecessors (Tintin au pays de Soviets and Tintin au Congo) are widely considered to be just too politically incorrect.If you are a political correctitude sort of person, you will likely find Tintin in America to be lacking in that area as well, but it is important to remember that it is a story steeped in its time, and more importantly, fictional.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Adventure and adventurers    3. Cartoons and comics    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Babies & Toddlers    6. Comics & Graphic Novels - General    7. Crime    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels   

Editorial Review

In this junior version of Joan Steiner's award-winning Read more

Reviews (12)

The more you look, the more you like!
What a wonderful book!I bought the book as a gift for my nephew and enjoyed it so much I nearly didn't want to give it away!Needless to say my nephew was delighted and loves the book.It's a great way to spend quality time with the younger generation, you will get as much pleasure as they do, finding all the cleverly arranged objects.A great way to wile away a cold winter's eve.

Attention
This book is a great tool to help your child closely observe details.A short attention span can quickly be expanded by both child and parent as you turn each page of this book. An utterly engrossing way to spend several hours
Joan Steiner's "Look-Alikes, Jr." is a wonderful follow-up to her 1998 "Look-Alikes."This self-taught artist employs everyday items from chess pieces to lasagna noodles, from nail polish bottles to keys, from crackers to ink pens, to construct the most completely realistic little scenes.There are spaceships blasting off towards outer space; middle-class living rooms; classrooms; general stores, and more, all of which are chock-full of items Steiner employs to look like something else.The aforementioned lasagna noodles?Yes, they're here--as curtains!And they look improbably wonderful as curtains!Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Kindergarten    3. Games & Activities - Puzzles    4. General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Picture puzzles    8. Juvenile Fiction / Art & Architecture   

Reviews (5)

Family Togetherness
Children's Book Press recently published a 15th anniversary edition of Carmen Lomas Garza's Family Pictures. One of the San Francisco-based publisher's most popular titles, the bilingual picture book won a Pura Belpre honor some years ago for its art work.(The Belpre awards are given biannually to Latino writers and illustrators.)
Family Pictures
I have read many children's books; this book however, isn't really a book for reading. It's greatest attribute are it's pictures. It does have a small descriptive paragraph opposite each picture in both English and Spanish, therefore making the book accessible to many different children. It is a great multicultural book; you can learn about the culture and traditions of a Mexican American family. It is a good book to develop multiculturalism and can be used in many ways in the classroom.

Wonderful piece!
Family Pictures is an excellent example of an autobiographical as well as multicultural book written for children from kindergarten through fourth grade.Lomas Garza covers a short period of her own childhood and the social life and customs of Hispanic Americans.The reader's attention is held by the detailed illustrations done in a variety of materials including oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, and gouache on arches paper.While children will be drawn by the wonderful paintings, they will be learning a great deal about the Hispanic culture. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art - General    2. Children's All Ages - Fiction - General    3. Family - Multigenerational    4. Hispanic American families    5. Hispanic Americans    6. Juvenile Multicultural Studies    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Kingsville    10. People & Places - United States - Hispanic/Latino    11. Social life and customs    12. Spanish: Grades 1-2    13. Texas   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Children's 12-Up - Reference    3. Children's All Ages - Family    4. Fashion    5. Parenting - Child Rearing    6. Reference - General    7. Dress & costume    8. Family & Relationships / General    9. Fashion design   

Reviews (12)

Worth Spending Money
Hi!!The book is wonderful for beginers.It helps you get the basic right.Almost all aspect are covered so that you can start sketching cars on your own like side view,3d view.Gives detail information for drawing tyres.This book has helped me a lot and I would recommend this book to everyone without any hesitation.

Never knew I could draw
I bought this book for myself as a 37th B-day gift and realized after all those years.... I can draw!!! : ) My wife swears I've taken art before but I haven't. After drawing 2 cars I used the techniques to draw a car out of another book and it looks good. I am my toughest critic and I like what I see. I bought 2 other books which cost more and they don't teach you half as much as what you learn with this book. I wish someone had given me this for my 9th B-day. Good luck.

aswome
Great book, i drew almost all the carws in it and some on the way to my vacation in south carolina. it teaches you the basics on how cars are drawn by the format they give you its easy, my freind got the hang of it in 20 min! its worth your buy. you get a format for: BMW, Porche, Mercades, and all other brands like Corvette, Audi, etc. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art - Drawing    2. Art - Techniques    3. Automobiles in art    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Drawing    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Technique    10. Transportation - Cars & Trucks    11. Art techniques, equipment & materials    12. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (8)

Katie Meets the Impressionists
James Mayhew set the bar high with this adventurous and educational story. I cannot think of a better way to encourage children to explore impressionism. Our daughter was just 3.5 when we first fell in love with Katie. We have since purchased the series of Katie books and enjoy sharing them with other children.

Early Art Appreciation
I bought this book along with two others from James Mayhew's collection for my two and five-year-old daughters.We enjoyed learning about the artists, types of paintings and history.After purchasing this book, I ordered another one as a birthday gift for a six-year-old and took the kids to a local museum featuring Impressionism.It is a great book for introducing famous art pieces and familiarizing young children with art history.Katie's adventures allow the children to step inside the paitings and experience various imaginative scenarios.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in exposing young children to art appreciation, which can begin at an early age.

a sweet, & educational tour of the masters of impressionism
For her birthday, Katie's grandmother takes her to the museum to see the impressionist paintings. At first, Katie thinks they look like dots, but her grandmother tells her to stand further back to see the flowers and the people. Katie has a rich imagination. She steps back and not only can she see the flowers, she can smell them. She closes her eyes and she finds herself within the painting itself, interacting with Jean Monet, son of Claude Monet, who is one of the subjects in the painting. Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    4. Art appreciation    5. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    6. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    7. Children: Grades 1-2    8. Fiction    9. Impressionism (Art)    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Museums    12. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (7)

Realistic expectations
The book's title is what the book actually provides.Drawing for OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS.People who give this book to a six year old shouldn't be surprised that some of the exercises or explanations are too hard. Likewise, people who want to draw like Rembrandt should realize that a book titled 'drawing for older children and teens' might not be the best resource.Do people even think any more?
A higher way of thinking for those incllined
Mona completely re-opened the "right hemisphere" in both myself andthe kids I taught to use her methods (age 8 and older). For those who understand this mode of thinking, once the gate is opened and your drawing hand coordinates with it, you can draw anything well: buildings, landscapes, people, animals, vehicles. Others may not understand this approach, they may think differently and prefer the "left hemisphere" mode of analytical thinking, years of critique, the old method of drawing lots of nudes, studying the analysis behind perspective.But for those who want to get straight to the source of artistic ability and draw what they are seeing, in their mind or what they're directly looking at, here's an approach that can be very useful. After time with it, a visual of what you want to draw just seems to shoot out of your drawing hand. It sinks in deeply, vs. the other approach of taking years to gain talent, or even worse, the instant gratification approaches to drawing animals or cartoons that rely on memory of that particular step by step drawing, without being able to use it for any other drawing. All three could no doubt work together in some beneficial way, but this approach is highy recommended either by itself or with the others.

Great art teaching aid
This book was easy to follow and interesting.It would be a little too much for a child to understand on their own, but with limited assistance it is an excellent guide for beginners who want to draw.My grandson was thrilled with it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Drawing    4. Study & Teaching    5. Technique    6. Techniques - Drawing    7. Art / Study & Teaching    8. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (8)

Two in One Book
This book is a great book for kids to learn their ABC's and to begin art appreciation.Each letter has different pictures to go with it representing a word that starts with the letter of the the alphabet.There is a wide varitey of pictures in the book.Great book for young kids.

Great for Kids!
My two year old loves this book!We originally borrowed this book from the library, but she didn't want to take it back so I compromised and bought her a copy.It's a great tool for reviewing the alphabet and learning words that start with each letter, plus she likes to look at all the pictures.Good purchase!

beautiful
I highly recommend this book.It is beautiful, it works on letters and word recognition and hopefully helps grow an appreciation for art and it's different forms.Not only does my son have it, it is now the baby gift that I give to all new parents.Love it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. Alphabet books    3. Art    4. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    6. Children: Grades 1-2    7. Concepts - Alphabet    8. English language    9. General    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. ABC books    13. History of art & art styles    14. Juvenile Fiction / Art & Architecture    15. Picture books   

Reviews (3)

Ed Emberley's Halloween Drawing Book by Ed Emberley
My son's favorite holiday if Halloween and he loves to draw.He is always trying to get me to draw him pictures.Before we got the book I could hardly draw a stick figure, now my 4yr old son and I can draw great pictures.We have already enjoyed hours of fun with this book.

Excerpts from the Big Orange Book
OK, I'm a big fan of Emberly, as should be apparent to anyone who's read any of my other reviews, but the salient detail about this book was left out of the other reviews: It consists entirely and only of excerpts from the Big Orange books. You don't really need this if you have the Orange book. A fun filled book for children of all ages
This book is a true inspiration for children of all ages.It evokes creativity and aids in the developement of artistic skills- besides, it's just fun!Any child will have many hours of fun with this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art - Drawing    2. Children's 4-8 - Art & Art Instruction    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Drawing    6. Emberley, Ed    7. Halloween in art    8. Holidays & Celebrations - Halloween    9. Juvenile Fine Arts    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Technique    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Art / Drawing