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The Usborne Children's Book Of Art
Over thirty of the world's best-known, best-loved pictures have been chosen for this fascinating introduction to art for children. There are lots of facts about the artists and their lives, and how they created their work, to help beginners understand what art is and why people think it important.
There are also internet links to recommended websites where you can view lost more pictures, play art games and create your own art online.
There are also internet links to recommended websites where you can view lost more pictures, play art games and create your own art online.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2005
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137 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 6, 2021
Very helpful and a really good introduction. It was easy to understand but not at all patronising and included all the terms for different paints and movements etc. Brilliant glossary and links to where they can learn more. Really good! I certainly learned a lot and I'm 20!
My only criticism of it was that it was extremely western and male centred. It was clearly a history of western art which would be fine if it had described itself as such but I don't think it did. In fact, on the back it says "the world's best known [...] pictures" and yet the incredibly famous painting of mount Fuji was not there. There was only one woman included which I appreciate is because there aren't many prominent women in the traditional 'history of art' but it would have been nice to tackle these issues, explain why there aren't many famous women (i.e. discrimination) and point out that there were other artists doing other things all round the world rather than just in Europe and America. Or perhaps even dig out and highlight some more women and include some more global art. These things just worry me with kids books that a child will easily get the impression that someone like them cannot be an artist.
My only criticism of it was that it was extremely western and male centred. It was clearly a history of western art which would be fine if it had described itself as such but I don't think it did. In fact, on the back it says "the world's best known [...] pictures" and yet the incredibly famous painting of mount Fuji was not there. There was only one woman included which I appreciate is because there aren't many prominent women in the traditional 'history of art' but it would have been nice to tackle these issues, explain why there aren't many famous women (i.e. discrimination) and point out that there were other artists doing other things all round the world rather than just in Europe and America. Or perhaps even dig out and highlight some more women and include some more global art. These things just worry me with kids books that a child will easily get the impression that someone like them cannot be an artist.
October 28, 2018
Úžasná kniha plná zajímavostí nejen pro děti, ale i dospělé.😊
August 14, 2020
The Usborne Children's Book of Art is a nonfiction book for readers ten and up, published in 2005. This book covers prominent paintings throughout history from “The Scream” to “Ophelia” to the “Mona Lisa”. Each spread offers information on its specific painting, the artist behind it, and additional information about either the process, a prominent feature of the piece, or explaining the importance behind key details. I really like this book because it offers high-quality images of each piece it discusses and often has enlargements of key details and small illustrations that aid the information provided. Additionally, the book provides a really nice amount of information without being overwhelming, or too technical or boring. The book also starts to analyze the formal elements of the paintings in certain spreads. For instance on the spread that discusses the painting “Hunters in the Snow” by Pieter Bruegel, the page goes into how warm and cool tones are utilized in the piece. Overall I think this book is a good introduction for teaching children art history and how to look at and break down paintings. My only criticism is that this book focuses heavily on Western artists and it would’ve been nice to have more diversity in the work covered.
March 15, 2018
This book covers 25 works of art giving author background and a commentary on the style of the piece. I checked it out of the library to see if it could be used for mommy school this summer, but ended up reading it for my own interest in about a half hour -- a mini course in art. It's a little mature for my intents and purpose, but I would recommend this to children with an interest in art from middle school on, though parents need to know that two piece have classical nudity, so you'll have to make the call on your child's maturity. ('The Birth of Venus' and 'God Bringing Adam to Life' from the Sistine Chapel.)
April 1, 2025
Read to the kids. A good starter but the kids could have definitely handled more, and especially would have liked it to not start with the Renaissance as if all art started in Italy in the 1400s. The kids did enjoy it a lot.
August 14, 2019
Loved this book. Great fact about famous painters. Both adult and children would enjoy this book. Lots of little fun facts throughout the book and additional weblink references too.
January 22, 2020
Great elementary art book to spark discussion.
March 14, 2021
This book was very fun. I loved learning about the paintings in the book and the straighties they used. Very fun!
May 24, 2019
My opinion:
I know the Arena Verlag, Würzburg through the former Arena Bookstore in Würzburg. It is a special memory of my childhood. Too bad that this does not exist anymore! I was very happy there.
What I say to the cover:
The book background is in activating yellow. The eye-catcher of the book is a painting by Claude Monet presented in the book. The painter is about to start the last brushstrokes. The humorous cartoons are by Uwe Mayer. The little painter leads the children through the book.
What I say to the book:
The children's book has 56 pages. It is written by Rosie Dickins and designed by Nickey Butler. In the book, works of art that belong to the category of "fine arts" are sorted in chronological order and presented to children.
The book chapters are short i. they go over a double page. A short biography complements the knowledge of the painter.
The writing is easy to read and the texts are written comprehensibly.
The book I would for children of 3./4. Primary class recommend. However, it makes sense that the children are accompanied by an adult. Many topics such as the division into time periods or painting styles is still in need of explanation for this age.
The book pages are backed with delicate colors. These match very well with the mood of the presented painting.
What I could learn from this book:
Visual arts has nothing to do with education directly - indeed. But it should be works of art that are paintings and sculptures. Literature and music are also among the arts.
Painters often have their specialties, e.g. Flowers or fruits by Jan von Os (Still Life). Here, the artists did not care to paint realistic pictures. Often these were a composition of flowers of different seasons or with special meanings, e.g. the rose as a flower of love or weeping willow for unloved love.
With a small quiz, the little readers can test their knowledge about painting. See page 62 for the solution to the questions.
My review
All important artists of different epochs are presented in this book with different points of view. Not only children but also adults enjoy their book. That's why I give the book 5 stars.
Conclusion:
A successful discovery book in the field of art for children.
Meine Meinung:
Den Arena Verlag, Würzburg kenne ich durch die ehemalige Arena Buchhandlung in Würzburg. Sie ist eine besondere Erinnerung an meine Kindheit. Schade, dass diese nicht mehr existiert! Dort war ich sehr gerne.
Was ich zum Cover sage:
Der Buchhintergrund ist in aktivierendem Gelb. Der Blickfang des Buches ist ein im Buch vorgestellten Gemälde von Claude Monet. Der Maler ist gerade dabei die letzten Pinselstriche anzusetzen. Die humorvollen Cartoons stammen von Uwe Mayer. Der kleine Maler führt die Kinder durchs Buch.
Was ich zum Buch sage:
Das Kinderbuch hat 56 Seiten. Es ist von Rosie Dickins geschrieben und von Nickey Butler gestaltet. Im Buch werden Kunstwerke, die zur Kategorie „bildende Kunst“ gehören, zeitlich aufsteigend sortiert, kindgerecht vorgestellt.
Die Buchkapitel sind kurz d.h. sie gehen über eine Doppelseite. Eine kurze Biographie ergänzt das Wissen um den Maler.
Die Schrift ist gut lesbar und die Texte nachvollziehbar geschrieben.
Das Buch würde ich für Kinder der 3./4. Grundschulklasse empfehlen. Allerdings ist es sinnvoll, dass die Kinder von einem Erwachsenen begleitet zu werden. Viele Themen wie die Einteilung in Zeitepochen oder Malstile ist für dieses Lebensalter noch erklärungsbedürftig.
Die Buchseiten sind mit zarten Farben hinterlegt. Diese passen sehr gut zu der Grundstimmung des vorgestellten Gemäldes.
Was ich aus diesem Buch lernen konnte:
Bildende Kunst hat nicht mit direkt mit Bildung etwas zu tun – zwar schon. Aber es sollen Kunstwerke sein, in denen es sich um Gemälde und Plastiken handelt. Literatur und Musik zählt auch zu den Künsten.
Maler haben oft ihre Spezialgebiete z.B. Blumen oder Früchte bei Jan von Os (Stillleben). Hier kam es den Künstlern nicht darauf an realistische Bilder zu malen. Oft waren diese eine Komposition aus Blumen unterschiedlicher Jahreszeiten bzw. mit besonderen Bedeutungen z.B. die Rose als Blume der Liebe oder Trauerweide für ungeliebte Liebe.
Mit einem kleinen Quiz können die kleinen Leserinnen und Leser ihr Wissen rund um die Malerei testen. Auf Seite 62 findet sich die Lösung zu den Fragen.
Meine Bewertung
Alle wichtigen Künstler unterschiedlichster Zeitepochen werden in diesem Buch mit unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten vorgestellt. Nicht nur Kinder, sondern auch Erwachsene haben ihre Freude an diesem Buch. Daher gebe ich dem Buch 5 Sterne.
Fazit:
Ein gelungenes Entdeckerbuch im Bereich Kunst für Kinder.
I know the Arena Verlag, Würzburg through the former Arena Bookstore in Würzburg. It is a special memory of my childhood. Too bad that this does not exist anymore! I was very happy there.
What I say to the cover:
The book background is in activating yellow. The eye-catcher of the book is a painting by Claude Monet presented in the book. The painter is about to start the last brushstrokes. The humorous cartoons are by Uwe Mayer. The little painter leads the children through the book.
What I say to the book:
The children's book has 56 pages. It is written by Rosie Dickins and designed by Nickey Butler. In the book, works of art that belong to the category of "fine arts" are sorted in chronological order and presented to children.
The book chapters are short i. they go over a double page. A short biography complements the knowledge of the painter.
The writing is easy to read and the texts are written comprehensibly.
The book I would for children of 3./4. Primary class recommend. However, it makes sense that the children are accompanied by an adult. Many topics such as the division into time periods or painting styles is still in need of explanation for this age.
The book pages are backed with delicate colors. These match very well with the mood of the presented painting.
What I could learn from this book:
Visual arts has nothing to do with education directly - indeed. But it should be works of art that are paintings and sculptures. Literature and music are also among the arts.
Painters often have their specialties, e.g. Flowers or fruits by Jan von Os (Still Life). Here, the artists did not care to paint realistic pictures. Often these were a composition of flowers of different seasons or with special meanings, e.g. the rose as a flower of love or weeping willow for unloved love.
With a small quiz, the little readers can test their knowledge about painting. See page 62 for the solution to the questions.
My review
All important artists of different epochs are presented in this book with different points of view. Not only children but also adults enjoy their book. That's why I give the book 5 stars.
Conclusion:
A successful discovery book in the field of art for children.
Meine Meinung:
Den Arena Verlag, Würzburg kenne ich durch die ehemalige Arena Buchhandlung in Würzburg. Sie ist eine besondere Erinnerung an meine Kindheit. Schade, dass diese nicht mehr existiert! Dort war ich sehr gerne.
Was ich zum Cover sage:
Der Buchhintergrund ist in aktivierendem Gelb. Der Blickfang des Buches ist ein im Buch vorgestellten Gemälde von Claude Monet. Der Maler ist gerade dabei die letzten Pinselstriche anzusetzen. Die humorvollen Cartoons stammen von Uwe Mayer. Der kleine Maler führt die Kinder durchs Buch.
Was ich zum Buch sage:
Das Kinderbuch hat 56 Seiten. Es ist von Rosie Dickins geschrieben und von Nickey Butler gestaltet. Im Buch werden Kunstwerke, die zur Kategorie „bildende Kunst“ gehören, zeitlich aufsteigend sortiert, kindgerecht vorgestellt.
Die Buchkapitel sind kurz d.h. sie gehen über eine Doppelseite. Eine kurze Biographie ergänzt das Wissen um den Maler.
Die Schrift ist gut lesbar und die Texte nachvollziehbar geschrieben.
Das Buch würde ich für Kinder der 3./4. Grundschulklasse empfehlen. Allerdings ist es sinnvoll, dass die Kinder von einem Erwachsenen begleitet zu werden. Viele Themen wie die Einteilung in Zeitepochen oder Malstile ist für dieses Lebensalter noch erklärungsbedürftig.
Die Buchseiten sind mit zarten Farben hinterlegt. Diese passen sehr gut zu der Grundstimmung des vorgestellten Gemäldes.
Was ich aus diesem Buch lernen konnte:
Bildende Kunst hat nicht mit direkt mit Bildung etwas zu tun – zwar schon. Aber es sollen Kunstwerke sein, in denen es sich um Gemälde und Plastiken handelt. Literatur und Musik zählt auch zu den Künsten.
Maler haben oft ihre Spezialgebiete z.B. Blumen oder Früchte bei Jan von Os (Stillleben). Hier kam es den Künstlern nicht darauf an realistische Bilder zu malen. Oft waren diese eine Komposition aus Blumen unterschiedlicher Jahreszeiten bzw. mit besonderen Bedeutungen z.B. die Rose als Blume der Liebe oder Trauerweide für ungeliebte Liebe.
Mit einem kleinen Quiz können die kleinen Leserinnen und Leser ihr Wissen rund um die Malerei testen. Auf Seite 62 findet sich die Lösung zu den Fragen.
Meine Bewertung
Alle wichtigen Künstler unterschiedlichster Zeitepochen werden in diesem Buch mit unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten vorgestellt. Nicht nur Kinder, sondern auch Erwachsene haben ihre Freude an diesem Buch. Daher gebe ich dem Buch 5 Sterne.
Fazit:
Ein gelungenes Entdeckerbuch im Bereich Kunst für Kinder.
July 30, 2015
Usborne Books has a really nice selection of art books and The Children's Book of Art is a wonderful introduction to paintings and understanding them. It's filled with eye catching art and lots of descriptive language to keep their attention and make them think.
Starting with CLASSIC art by my favorite artist Claude Monet as well as Edgar Degas & Leonardo da Vinci and finishing with MODERN art by Andy Warhol, Rene Magritte and David Hockney kids learn about each artist, the different techniques they used to create the painting, what their inspiration was and even why they used the colors they used to create depth, warmth & coolness, and more.
The book has a few other pages like a Glossary to explain different terms found in the book like Abstract Expressionists, Cubism, the Color Wheel & what complimentary, primary and secondary colors are. It also talks about artists during the Renaissance, what surrealism, frescos and Art Nouveau are. The best part is its written for kids - meaning it's easy to understand and even better is that this book is Internet Linked!
Read the rest of my review @ http://givingnsharing.blogspot.com/20...
Starting with CLASSIC art by my favorite artist Claude Monet as well as Edgar Degas & Leonardo da Vinci and finishing with MODERN art by Andy Warhol, Rene Magritte and David Hockney kids learn about each artist, the different techniques they used to create the painting, what their inspiration was and even why they used the colors they used to create depth, warmth & coolness, and more.
The book has a few other pages like a Glossary to explain different terms found in the book like Abstract Expressionists, Cubism, the Color Wheel & what complimentary, primary and secondary colors are. It also talks about artists during the Renaissance, what surrealism, frescos and Art Nouveau are. The best part is its written for kids - meaning it's easy to understand and even better is that this book is Internet Linked!
Read the rest of my review @ http://givingnsharing.blogspot.com/20...
August 3, 2008
I was looking through this at my booth yesterday and fell in love with it! I'm going to be ordering this one very soon. It has useful information about the painters and their work in a way that is fun to learn. I would recommend this book to teachers or parents who are wanting to introduce their younger children to art.
March 4, 2009
Wonderful book. Has famous works of art and projects for children to explore similar art methods.
December 13, 2009
Really great book for introducing young children to famous artists and works of art.
April 28, 2013
I pretty much love all the Usborne book. This one did not disappoint. It will help with volunteering at elementary school and helping with art projects. Will have to purpose my own copy.
May 18, 2013
I learned a lot in this "introduction to famous paintings". I'm about to check on the internet resource links. Hope they are good, too.
June 12, 2014
Great book that covers a lot of art styles & history in a simple, fun-to-read manner.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews