The Usborne Children’s Book of Art

Childrens Book IllustrationThe Children’s Book of Art is a beautifully illustrated hard-backed art book that contains more than 30 different works of art, illustrated with photographs and cartoons to help children understand the images that they are looking at.
The book is a great introduction to the world of art for children aged 6+. The author worked with art historian Dr Erika Langmuir to choose the pieces to be included in the book. The art is supported with links to websites containing art related games and activities.
This book is a great way to introduce children to classic works of art (as well as illustrated maps do the same for art students, cartoon arts and not experienced illustrators). The website references in the book provide a good platform for children that want to explore specific works in more depth, and the book would work well as a complement to a museum or art gallery trip. The work is displayed in its true and uncensored form, so there are some nude illustrations present. This is handled quite tastefully, however.
The book includes several artists, including Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Turner, Picasso, Monet and Boticelli. Brief biographies of each artist are given, along with details of the style of art that they preferred and the materials that they used. Some of the topics mentioned in the book may be challenging for young children, so the title is best explored with a parent or teacher present.
Making classic art accessible is a difficult feat, but that’s what this book has managed to do. If you want to get your child to start exploring art and creativity at a young age then this is a good title to start with. It is aimed at younger readers but the quality of the book and its presentation make it a good introduction to fine art for older children as well.