Betty's Books: From the Museums
by Betty Woodward
If you're planning a trip to the museum, these art books will get you in the mood
Books are a wonderful way to introduce grandchildren to art. And they are a fun way to introduce kids to museum-going. Young children sometimes see museums as enormous and intimidating, but if they're exposed to books about art before they visit, classic paintings will seem like old friends.
Storytellers
Jean Sousa's Telling Images: Stories in Art (The Art Institute of Chicago, 1997) is a must for any grandchild 7 and older living in or visiting the Chicago area. Based on the premise that great works of art tell great stories, the book explores six works in The Art Institute, including a royal altar tusk from Benin and a 15th-century painting of Saint George Killing the Dragon. Sousa skillfully shows how each of these works actually tell a number of tales. For example, a statue of the Hindu god Vishnu signifies not only the religion's beliefs but also the Indian culture's emphasis on dance.
More Than a Dot-to-Dot
Robert Burleigh's Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots (Harry N. Abrams, 2004) welcomes children into the world of another Art Institute of Chicago tenant, Georges Seurat's 19th-century pointillist masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. Burleigh’s beautifully illustrated book encourages readers to leisurely explore the painting and to imagine the story behind all those dots. In easily accessible language, Burleigh explains how Seurat devised his innovative technique, how his colors work together, and how he used sketches to create his final artwork. A visit to the museum would certainly bring this book to life but it also stands on its own as a wonderful introduction to painting technique for grandchildren age 8 and older.
Lost in Art
Younger grandchildren will identify with the protagonist of Bjorn Sortland and Lars Elling's Anna’s Art Adventure (Carolrhoda Books, 1999). When Anna's Uncle Harold takes her to an art museum, things are pretty dull until she spots, and slips into, a mysterious red dress. Suddenly, she is able to step into the center of many famous paintings and visit with their creators. She encounters Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Marc Chagall; Jackson Pollock even lets her “splatter” on a canvas with his brush. While she appreciates these meetings, all she really wants to do is find a bathroom. Brief biographies of all the featured artists are included in the back of this delightful fantasy for grandchildren. It's a great enticement for a first-time museum visit with a grandparent.
On the Sidewalks of New York
The star of Joan MacPhail Knight and Melissa Sweet's Charlotte in New York (Chronicle, 2006) is an exuberant 19th-century Bostonian returning to the U.S. with her family after two years living in France, where her artist father learned the techniques of Impressionism. Part journal, part scrapbook, Charlotte narrates her adventures in France and New York City across pages peppered with period postcards, photographs, and of course paintings. There are also little-known historical facts — for example, did you know camels were once used to mow the lawns in Central Park? This book is a fine introduction to great American artists of the period, including Childe Hassam and William Merritt Chase. Grandparents and grandchildren age 9 and older will enjoy this opportunity to learn about them together.
Children? Yes. Balloons? No
Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Glasser's wordless picture book You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Museum of Fine Arts (Dial, 2002) follows the ongoing adventures of an art-loving grandmother, her granddaughter, the girl's wayward balloon, and the ever-growing band of lively characters who track it across great cities. In earlier books, the intergenerational duo tried and failed to bring balloons into New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Washington, D.C.'s National Gallery. This time, the girl's grandpa escorts her and her brother inside Boston's Museum of Fine Arts while grandma remains outside with the balloon, exploring the city's historic streets. But soon enough, the balloon gets loose and the chase is on. The action on the street creatively reflects the artworks grandpa and the children view in the museum. Famous Bostonians are hidden throughout the illustrations as well, and identified in the back of the book. This is a fascinating excursion into Boston's art and history that a grandchild of any age will enjoy.
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