Posted in My Homeschool FAQs

Over at the Natural Elevation blog she has posted about a long awaited Art book she finally got and then found it was 85% nudes!  This led me to start thinking about all the Art books I have done with my kiddos and I thought I would share a few of the titles we love. 

Here is a list of Art books we own and have used through the years.  I have put them in order from youngest to oldest. 

Dancing with Degas (boardbook)
A Picnic With Monet (boardbook)
These are sweet little boardbooks that use the artists work and then have a simple rhyming story for preschoolers.  There are also other titles such as:

• 
  
In the Garden with Van Gogh by Julie Merberg
• A Magical Day with Matisse by Julie Merberg
• Sharing with Renoir by Julie Merberg
• Sunday with Seurat by Julie Merberg

They are $6.95 each.

Puzzle Gallery Games this is a book that has 5 Masterpieces as puzzles inside.  There is a paragraph of info on each picture and several questions about the pictures to get kids looking at the art. You can buy it from Amazon used as cheap as $1.91.  Good for Preschool - 3rd grade approximtely.

Baby Einstein The ABC's of Art is a great book for ages Preschool and up.  It has a painting for each letter of  the alaphabet, a little info on the art and questions to get kids involved in the Art.  It sells for $15.95 new.

Paintings A First Discovery Art of Book  and Portraits A First Discovery Book of Art is one of those neat little books from Scholastics tht has acetate pages that you can see through to complete the pictures.  They are $11.95 new.  And is for elementary students.

Diego is the story of artist Diego Rivera told in both English and Spanish. This is the first  art book I owned.  It was a gift from a friend when I was pregnant with my 1st child.  We went to a Diego Rivera exhibit together in Los Angeles and he bought the book for me.  It sells for $15.00.  This is for elelmentary students

The First Stary Night is a story book about Van Gogh painting Starry Starry Night.  It is $6.95.  For elementary.

We have 4 books from the Great Artist Series Degas, Monet , Renoir & Van Gogh. These books are a nice little intro to the life and times of each artist.  They also include a lot of pictures of their art. 3rd and up.

The next series we have a few of are the "What Makes A"  we have Brugel A Brugel, Picasso a Picasso and Goya a Goya.  I could not find a resource to buy them online.  I am guessing they are out of print.  They are not my favorites.  They are a little dry!  LOL  I like the Great Artist series mentioned above much better.  These were put out by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1990's.  If you find them cheap used I'd say go for it!  3rd and up. They were $11.99 new.

Rembrandt The Christmas Story is a neat little book that tells the story of Christmas illustrated with the art of Rembrandt.  You can buy it on Anzon for as cheap as .1 cent!!!

Sister Wendy Beckett A Child's book of Prayer in Art is an awesome little gem. The inside cover says:

"...Sister Wendy has selected  paintings that can speak to children the inportant values of life, such as love, resepct, and forgiveness.  She helps children to look and listen, gaining insight into art while developing a greater understanding of their own spirituality."

It is $14.95 new and is a lovely book!  This is good for elemetary students.

Masterpieces a Fact-Filled Coloring Book is just what it says!  A cool coloring book with info on each of the Materpieces you get to color.  This is a favorite in our house!  It is $9.95 and well worth the investment!  Good for preschool to highschool!

Hello Out There! Speaking Through Pictures is  cool book that look at the people communicate through art using signs, symbols, photographs, design, advertising, cartoons and visual communications.  Upper elementary.

Secrets of Art is a book that helps us understand the why of art.  Why does art make us feel the way it does?  How artist make us feel happy or sad.  The tricks of the trade to understanding art. Upper elementary

How Art Is Made explores the many different mediums that artists use.  From mud, car tires and even garbage. Upper Elementary.

Going To The Getty is a book about the Getty Center in Los Angeles.  This book helps kids understand how museums come to be and gives us fun facts about the Getty.  Elementary. $16.95.

Looking At Pictures An Introduction To Art For Young People is an excellent resource!  This is high on my list of favorites!  It includes 150 illustrations and more topics than I have time to list here!  It is $19.95 and I highly recommend it!  Upper elementary.

How Artists See Cities is just what it says.  Lots of pictures of cities through the eyes of different artists.  Upper elementary.

All of the above mentioned books to NOT include pictures of nudes. The suggested ages are mine.  Ages may vary depending on your children's interest.

The book my 7th grader is using for Art this year has approx 12 nudes in it.  There are 196 pages in the book.  It is a really good book that is a complete introduction to Art.  It is called The Usborne Book of Art and is internet linked. Here is the description from the Usborne website:

"Here is the story of western art, told clearly and simply, and illustrated with over two hundred of the world’s greatest works of art. This fascinating book covers it all – from ancient Egyptian tomb decorations to the great masters of European painting, right up to the latest controversies over contemporary art. Throughout the book, there are Internet links to recommended websites where you can view thousands more artworks, find out more about the artists and play art games."

This book is recommended for ages 10 and up.  I think 12 and up is a better recommendation.

So that is what the kiddos and I have done through the years for Art.  Most of these books I have picked up over time as we have visited Art Museums.  All of them have been read by us and will be read again and again as the 2 little ones get older.  I hope someone finds this helpful!

Oh,  by the way, here is the book I most want the next time I have $50.00 to spend on an Art book!  The Story of Painting by Sister Wendy Beckett.  If anyone has it please leave me a message and tell me what you think of it!

Jamin