Get Into Art People: Discover Great Art and Create Your Own!

Gr 1–5—This inviting combination of art appreciation and hands-on creations introduces 12 masterpieces in a child-friendly way. A brief introduction shares guidelines for using the book and cursory descriptions of materials. The artworks vary widely in style, technique, and medium, including works such as Edvard Munch's The Scream, Eadweard Muybridge's photographic series "Lawn Tennis," and Roy Lichenstein's Girl in Mirror. On each spread a reproduction covers at least one page with the remaining space used for the title, date, artist's name, a brief biography, and background on the artwork. A half-fold opens to reveal an activity dealing with some aspect of the profiled piece. For example, Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I is paired with a lesson on making patterns and textures, and Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Vertumnus is combined with instructions on how to use vegetables and fruits to make prints of people. Michelangelo's David (shown torso up) includes a lesson on facial proportions. A glossary, an introduction to color theory, and a list of project materials round out the book. The beautiful reproductions, colorful design elements, interesting projects, and attractive cover all make this volume accessible to its intended audience.—Carol S. Surges, formerly at Longfellow Middle School, Wauwatosa, WI