Top Five Books to Introduce Kids to Art

Recently I have been wishing I could expose my children to quality art. How to do that? Our local art museum is fine but very small and mainly has modern works by locals. Our budget doesn't allow for touring Europe (or even, realistically, a larger US city with a great art museum), so I decided to nose around at our wonderful local library. I was not disappointed! Here are the top five books I found, arranged from those that would appeal most to younger kids through those that are a bit more mature.

1. I SPY: AN ALPHABET IN ART (Lucy Micklethwait)
This is a spin on the traditional (and oftentimes boring) ABC book. Each page features a letter and a painting, and you need to find an object in the painting beginning with that letter (the object is not specified, but there is an answer key in the back - we needed it a few times). The paintings are wonderful and brought up several conversations with my girls. This book could be used with very young children - maybe as young as 2, although my 10-year-old was happy with it as well.

2. CAN YOU FIND IT OUTSIDE? (Jessica Schulte)
This is just a step up maturity-wise from the first book. Each page has a painting and a brief poem asking you to find a few items. Additionally, the bottom of the page lists several other items to find. All the paintings in this book are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The series also features a "Can You Find it Inside?" version. No answer key included with these, but the objects asked for are generally pretty easy to find. There is a key in the back listing the titles, artists, and dates of all the paintings - this is interesting for older kids (and parents!).

3. LOOK CLOSER: ART MASTERPIECES THROUGH THE AGES (Caroline Desnoettes)
This book features an artwork on one page, and on the facing page there are lift-up flaps which feature details from the painting. Under the flaps are various surprises - fun facts about the painting, objects to find in the painting, details on colors/palette used by the artist, etc. The flaps make this book great for younger kids, while older kids can appreciate the additional information found beneath the flaps.

4. IMAGINE THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING: STORIES OF GIRLS IN ART (Pleasant Company)
This book, by the American Girl doll company, is a bit different from the others. Each page still features a great artwork, but the opposite page asks the reader to imagine themselves in the painting and tries to evoke a mood. Can you imagine how the breeze feels? - how the barking dog sounds? - etc. The book is marketed to girls, but would be fine for boys as well (although most of the art does focus on girls).

5. CAN YOU FIND IT? (Judith Cressy)
This book is a step up from the #2 Can You Find it Series. It features works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and includes paintings of various styles, time periods, and nationalities. There are many things listed to find on each page, and several that I was unable to locate without the aid of the answer key in the back! My girls, however, were fascinated with finding the tiny details and even began a game among themselves - could they guess what country this painting depicted? What time period? The series also features another book, "Can You Find it, Too?"

Happy art hunting to you and your children!