13 Paintings Children Should Know

13 Things Children Should Know

by Angela Wenzel

People of all ages are fascinated by Mona Lisa’s beguiling smile, Van Gogh’s hypnotic night sky, and Frida Kahlo’s depiction of herself with a monkey. These paintings and ten others are featured in the book in large reproductions with accompanying details. The readable text offers biographical information about each artist and important facts about the painting’s technical and historical aspects. Games, quizzes, and coloring exercises provide additional opportunities for young readers to interact with the artworks, while a timeline throughout the book allows for easy historical orientation. Readers will return again and again to these works, which provide continued opportunities for contemplation and discovery.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sandy]

A quick add-on to our daily reading time, we would look at a picture when we had time. It took us about 3 weeks to get through the book. Some paintings were more interesting than others and some more familiar and famous. But, it was a great book for starting conversations and developing little art aficionados.

One of my favorite paintings was Botticelli's La Primavera - it is a depiction of the Goddess Venus and many of the women in the painting are wearing sheer dresss. In the zoom in picture on the second page, my 4 year old daughter studied the 3 ladies dancing and then innocently with a surprised voice asked, "Mom, where is their underwear?" I will never see this painting ever again without hearing that sweet little question.

[Mrs. Ruigrok]

An excellent book to learn about paintings, the artists, where they are found and the significance and importance of the paintings. There are also thought provoking questions and suggestions for students. Superb!

[Taylor]

Seriously?! This was first published in 2009, with updated edition in 2017... of the oddly numbered 13 artists kids should know, only one is a woman... big surprise, it’s Frida Kahlo

[H]

Book about 13 paintings across the Western art world. OK.

[Saba]

Informational ,nice images but pretty boring painting choice. Wish there were more diverse artists .feels dated. For older children

[Andrew]

Often it takes a kids book fro ou to be able to understand what a painter is portraying in art. Who really knows however. The author discusses themes and events of the time the paintings were painted to explain why they are what they are. Who can suggest otherwise?

[Vj]

Published in London and reflects a British bias. I would have expected Grant Woods "American Gothic" instead of "The Fighting Temeraire."

[Ridgewood Public Library Youth Services]

A nice introduction to art appreciation covering a wide range of paintings. The whole series is worthwhile. - Brittin (RPL)

[Maria]

I'm fairly knowledgeable about art and was surprised by some of the choices and some I'd actually never heard of, so it was interesting and very appropriate for the age group it's trying to reach.