Art Books from Our Library

Not only did I recently find a slew of math resources at our library, but I also found a few art books.

Seen Art? by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

In this comical book, the narrator is seeking his friend Art.  Every time he asks someone they point him to MOMA (New York's Museum of Modern Art).  He easily finds the building, but still can't find Art.  He views paintings, like Van Gogh's Starry Night and walks halls with pop art.  All the while, he asks other museum goers where Art is.  Each one takes him to a painting or work of art and shows him what they consider Art.  The narrator ends up touring the entire museum, but doesn't find Art.  It is a comical story with a cute ending.  We enjoyed how actual pieces of art were incorporated into the story.  It was a seamless way to intertwine art appreciation and a fun story. 

1, 2, 3, I Can Make Prints! by Irene Luxbacher

Using fingers, sponges, craft foam and modeling clay, little hands are encouraged to make art prints.  Many adorable project ideas are included in the pages.  Some of our favorites are a caterpillar made from a circular sponge stamp, sleeping ladybugs on top of a leaf made from placing a drop of green water color paint onto a piece of paper and folding the paper to spread the paint around, and a crazy ant maze made from a foam tray block print.

Arty Facts: Structures, Materials and Art Activities, by Barbara Taylor

Mixing facts, history, appreciation, and art projects, this book offers a little of everything in one volume.  Just about every architectural element is covered, including stained glass, candle wax, tipis, houses, bridges, walls, roof tops, and floors.  Children interested in building or making sculptures will find a lot of great ideas, which they can easily complete, throughout the book.

Art as Science, by Christine Fleming

After an introduction to art, the history of art, and everyday art, the book delves into its main topic: the science of art.  Art and science intersect in many different ways, and this book means to introduce children to a few of those.  Science is used for conservation of art artifacts, matching pigments of paints, determining authenticity of art works, and even creating some artistic illusions and patterns.  Children interested in science may find an interest in art after reading through this book.

If you are able to find any of these titles at your local library, I would highly recommend borrowing them.

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