Adventures in Asian Art: An Afternoon at the Museum

K-Gr 2—The realm of Asian art and antiquities isn't what one would typically think of as child-friendly subject matter, but this book aims to change that. Three animated children explore San Francisco's Asian Art Museum with their mother, imagining what it might be like to wear samurai warrior armor from Japan or ride on the back of a glossy camel from ancient China. Each page contains a short passage of rhyming text, along with questions designed to encourage children to look more closely ("How many animals can you see surrounding the Buddha?") or make connections between the objects and their own lives and interests ("Do you wear protective gear for any of your favorite activities?"). The illustrations merge photographs of the museum's collection with cartoonish characters whose exaggerated expressions of curiosity and delight belie the somewhat serious endeavor of interpreting art. The endpapers are adorned with miniature images and item numbers for each piece that can be cross-referenced in the museum's online catalogue, welcoming readers to investigate further. The authors neatly synthesize a vast and complex subject into a read-aloud selection.