A head start in art

 

Art is so much more than paintings hanging on museum walls. These books introduce little ones to the concept, but on a playful level all their own

 

Maximize Your Talent

Surprises at every turn, laugh-out loud funny and incredibly clever. Art & Max colorfully explores the excitement of trying something new but getting a little carried away. Can Max repair his friendship with Art? That depends on just how good an artist he is.

Art & Max by David Weisner, $16. Available at Amazon.ca.

 

Fix a Mistake

Everybody makes mistakes. But that doesn’t mean you have to start over. This delightful book shows children that by using their imagination, they can turn a torn piece of paper, a bent corner, a smudge and a smear into wonderful works of art.

Beautiful Oops! By Barney Saltzberg, $12. Available at Chapters.indigo.ca.

 

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Follow the instructions and watch a world of color and whimsy burst forth on the pages of this magical book. It’s mesmerizing what can happen with one dot and a shake here, a tilt there, a press here.

Press Here by Hervé Tullet, $13. Available at Amazon.ca.

 

Take a Tour

Three lovely board books from the Metropolitan Museum of Art use letters, numbers and shapes to take little ones on a journey though the museum’s vast collection.

Museum ABC, Museum 123, Museum Shapes, $15 each. Available at Chapters.indigo.ca.

 

Show and Tell

This new series, from the authors of Mini Masters, explores basic principles – from first words to feelings – through famous works of art. The first two books, How is Mona Lisa Feeling? and Mama, Baby, and Other First Words are already available, while the next two instalments — Animals in Art and Green Squares & More Colors & Shapes – will be released in April.

Art from the Start Series by Suzanne Bober and Julie Merberg, $7 each. Available from Simon & Schuster.

 

Do Touch

Every child knows the best way to learn is through touch. But try telling that to the museum security guard! In this interactive series of eight board books, kids can touch all they want – flap the blue ribbon bows in Renoir’s The Swing or stroke the eyelashes on Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe.

Touch the Art series by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo, $10 each. Available at Amazon.ca.

 

First published on MySweetBaby.ca March 2011.