Get into Art: Telling Stories: Discover Great Art and Create Your Own!

Gr 3–6—This colorful and enlightening volume offers examples of exciting, visually arresting paintings and other works of art that tell stories—some historical, some imaginary, some mysterious, all brilliantly rendered by their creators and superbly reproduced here. For instance, Henri Matisse's Icarus brings to life a well-known Greek myth, while Edward Hopper's Automat leaves it to the viewer to decide what's going on. As in the other titles in this highly successful series, the original works are presented on the verso, while the recto contains a brief explanation, conveying just enough information to help young readers understand the works and the stories they tell without becoming overwhelmed. Opening the foldouts on each page reveals a variety of related projects. Some may seem a tad daunting for inexperienced or timid crafters, whose final results may not look as accomplished and polished as those shown. Still, the author encourages children to try and reminds them that their own creations and choice of materials need not exactly resemble those in the book. A variety of media and techniques for the crafts are represented herein, and many artists and works, from different periods, are covered, including a 19th-century Native American who created pictographs on a buffalo hide.