Best Children's Painting Books

Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, talented musician, and dedicated scientist and inventor, designing flying machines, submarines, and even helicopters. Roberta Edwards lives in New York, New York.

A Caldecott Honor Book Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound—the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! Gr 1–4—A stirring tribute to a prominent pioneer of abstract art, Paintbox follows the life of Russian-born artist Vasya Kandinsky from his childhood to adulthood, conveying the astounding imagery conjured in the painter's (probably genetic) condition, synesthesia, which caused sensory fields to collide in explosions that enabled him, for example, to hear colors. In this delightful homage, Rosenstock's crisp visual language unites with GrandPré's deeply expressive and whimsical paintings to re-create the intriguing world of art as seen through Kandinsky's distinct lens. Outstanding.—Kathryn Diman, Bass Harbor Memorial Library, Bernard, ME. *Starred Review* Richly colored, large acrylic paint and paper collage pictures illustrate the life of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the first painters of abstract art.

From that simple premise flows this delightful, whimsical, educational picture book that shows how the artist’s imagination can summon magic from a prosaic subject. Greg Newbold’s chameleon-like artistry shows us Roy Lichtenstein’s snow hero saving the day, Georgia O’Keefe’s snowman blooming in the desert, Claude Monet’s snowmen among haystacks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic snowman, Jackson Pollock’s snowman in ten thousand splats, Salvador Dali’s snowmen dripping like melty cheese, and snowmen as they might have been rendered by J. M. W. Turner, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Georges Seurat, Pablita Velarde, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Jacob Lawrence, and Vincent van Gogh. “ With big, brightly colored original illustrations that range from evocative to downright authentic-looking, the Newbolds introduce 17 “modern” (more or less) painters by suggesting how each might have depicted a snowman. A smiling hamster wielding a paintbrush conducts viewers through a gallery that begins with a cubist “Picasso,” looks back to a vague shape in a Turneresque blizzard, and then darts in no particular order from Lichtenstein and O’Keeffe to Klimt, Pollock, Van Gogh (where the hamster acquires a bandage on its ear), Sonia Delaunay, and, finally, Grant Wood, with a version of American Gothic. For the most part, the artists make up a familiar roster of dead, white, male Europeans or Americans, and an inviting blank canvas at the end may prompt some would-be Picassos to draw directly on the page. It’s perfect for little aspiring artists, and a treat for older ones!”. - Shifa, Children's Book Council Staff Picks. A stark desert landscape hosts a snowman with a skull and antlers for a head and a lush floral array in its center. No one can fail to recognize the painter who might have depicted snowmen languishing like wet noodles on an alien plain or the two snow people standing in front of buildings straight out of Americana, the one holding a shovel upright. Artist Greg Newbold through meticulous research replicates the techniques and styles of each of the seventeen painters focusing on those most notable works. A large snowman cuddles two smaller ones, all wrapped up in a quilted blanket, in a Klimt-inspired spread; in a remake of Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory, flattened snowmen replace drooping clocks. A blank easel invites readers to contribute their own snowmen, and the book concludes with capsule biographies of the featured painters. The hamster’s antics can be a bit much (he’s shown with a bandage over a missing ear on the Van Gogh page), but in all it’s an inviting introduction to a range of important painters . ”. - Publishers Weekly “A range of art styles is explored in this picture book that invites readers to imagine how various artists would paint a snowman...The examples of the art mimic some of the artists' famous paintings but incorporate imagined snowmen into them. For example, Dali's "snowmen drip like melted cheese" in a double-page spread that emulates "The Persistence of Memory" with flattened, drooping snowmen rather than timepieces depicted on the surreal landscape...A closing spread with a blank easel nicely invites readers to copy it and make their own snowman painting.

Learn how to create awesome drawings of everything from crazy monsters to monster trucks. Aaron Sautter is a Capstone Press author.

Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Whitney Stewart lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Kids can sew too! Written by a kindergarten teacher and a journalist who have taught many children to sew, this large-format book offers appealing projects illustrated with color photos of step-by-step directions as well as kids engaged in sewing and showing off work. After covering basic knowledge and skills, the presentation moves on to instructions for fun, easy projects such as making a drawstring tote bag or a “Super Hero Cuff.” Sections on mending clothes and repairing stuffed animals round out the presentation. Best of all, this practical, attractive sewing book features finished projects that look like they were actually made by children.

37 fabulous origami figures offer inspiration and challenges for both novices and experts. Hours of enjoyment await with this big book of origami fun. Robert J. Lang is one of the most respected origami designers in the world.

Featuring more than 150 activities, this guide teaches the styles, works, and techniques of the great masters—Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and more. ""Discovering Great Artists" encourages children to know the great artists and their techniques through hands-on experience, to be inspired to read books, to visit museums, and to see the world in a new way. ""Discovering Great Artists" offers children the opportunity to explore a variety of artistic mediums including paint, chalk and pencil drawings, sculpture, photography and construction. Artists from the Renaissance to the present time are included, covering artistic styles such as cubism, abstract, cartoon, naturalism, impressionism and folk art. "Hands-on Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters. 110 amazingly fun and unique art activities for children to experience the styles and techniques of the great masters, from Renaissance to the present. A brief biography of each artist is included with a fully illustrated, child-tested art activity, featuring painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, architecture, and more!" "DISCOVERING GREAT ARTISTS" is. A Creative Collection of. Easy Art Appreciation. Activities for Children. 110 amazingly fun and unique art activities for. children to experience the styles and techniques. of the great masters, from the Renaissance to. the present. Great Artists activities include: - Da Vinci - Invention Art. - Michelangelo - Fresco Plaque. - Rembrandt - Shadowy Faces. - Monet - Dabble in Paint. - Degas - Resist in Motion. - Picasso - Fractured Friend. - Van Gogh - Starry Night. - Dali - Dream Photographs. - Matisse 0 color Collage. - Pollock - Action Splatter. - Lichtenstein - comic Dots. - O'Keeffe - Close-Up Flower. ART EXPLORATION FOR. SCHOOL • HOMESCHOOL • HOME. CHILDCARE • MUSEUMS • LIBRARIES. ___________________________________________________. About the creators of Discovering Great Artists: MaryAnn F. Kohl is the author of award winning titles. Scribble Art, Mudworks, ScienceArts, Preschool Art, Cooking Art, Good Earth Art, and others.