Julie Appel

This book is an excellent introduction to great artists, in which children can explore famous artworks in a fun and engaging manner. This title covers a lot of ground, encompassing roughly 200 years of art history and traversing several European countries. It includes works of arts from such famed artists as da Vinci, van Eyck, Vermeer, and Raphael, among others.

The narrative doesn't pull a full story together, but each page asks for the reader's participation in some fashion or another ("Can you find the dog?", "Can you tug your ear?"). Of course, a lot of the interactive calls also involve the touch-and-feel aspect of the book, inviting children to feel soft, scratchy, and shiny elements, among others.

The lack of a cohesive narrative - or even some rhymes to make the book more entertaining - meant this book was not my favorite of the Touch the Art series. Still, I did enjoy it and thought it was compelling enough. Also, when I read this book to my 3-year-old niece, she listened closely as I read the words aloud and she then carefully examined each touch-and-feel picture. It definitely held her attention, and I think it would be a hit in my toddler classroom as well.

The book ends with a brief paragraph about each artist represented in its pages, but this section seems to be geared more toward parents/caregivers who are interested in learning more than for the children themselves. I could see how this book would be helpful for parents who want to share their love of Renaissance art as well as for those who are about to bring/recently brought their children to an art museum - with the caveat of course that the children can touch the book but not the art!… (altro)

This book is an excellent introduction to modern art, in which children can explore great works of the impressionist and post-impressionist periods in a fun and engaging manner. The loose narrative goes through a day from the morning wake-up routine to admiration of the nighttime sky. Each part of the day corresponds with a famous work of art, which has some element of touch and feel to it, whether it's a bright red ribbon tied up in a bow or delicate pink piece of tulle. The text specifically calls out the touch-and-feel aspect with lines like "grab a peach" and "close the curtain." Each page's text also has a simple rhyming scheme, which can give the book a singsong aspect if desired.

When I read this book to my 3-year-old niece, she listened closely as I read the words aloud and then carefully she examined each touch-and-feel picture. It definitely held her attention, and I think it would be a hit in my toddler classroom as well.

The book ends with a brief paragraph about each artist represented in its pages, but this section seems to be geared more toward parents/caregivers who are interested in learning more than for the children themselves. I could see how this book would be helpful for parents who want to share their love of modern art as well as for those who are about to bring/recently brought their children to an art museum - with the caveat of course that the children can touch the book but not the art!… (altro)