Come Look with Me (series)
from Lickle Publishing
Review by Martha Robinson
Come Look With Me series. Hardcovers with dust jackets. $15.95 list price. Please help support our site by purchasing these books from our affiliate link to Amazon.
Lickle Publishing offers a series of eight art appreciation books for young children. With thirty-two pages each, these attractive hardcover books offer beautiful reproductions of classic and modern art along with questions and background information about each picture. The Come Look With Me series books should be read aloud or summarized by the parent to stimulate thought and discussion with young readers.
The format of the books in the series is the same. A full-page copy of the art is on the left page along with its basic information (title, artist, year painted, size, medium, current location.) On the facing page are about six questions to encourage the child to look at and think about the picture. Next, a brief biography of the artist and some points about the picture such as its composition, a historical aspect, or the technique used by the artist appear. The final page of each book suggests that the child should go back through the pictures while considering a few more questions.
Four of the eight books in the series were provided for review.
Enjoying Art with Children by Gladys S. Blizzard. This first book in the series features pictures of children. Portraits and more active pictures in a variety of styles are shown in chronological order from a Hans Holbein the Younger painting from 1538 to a Pablo Picasso from 1938. The information in this book is somewhat shorter than in the later volumes.
Animals in Art by Gladys S. Blizzard. The author features birds, horses, imaginary beasts, dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals in this volume. Cave paintings, oil paintings, a woodcut, and a collage show the student a variety of artistic expressions. The cave painting is dated at 15,000 B.C., and the other works are from 1509 up to 1987. Japanese and Indian art are included along with the usual European and American fare.
Exploring Modern Art by Jessica Noelani Wright. Featuring a diversity of European and American artists, this book shows art of the twentieth century. Explanations of the artist's vision, beliefs, and intent help the child to see what he or she was trying to convey through the work. Discussion of some of the techniques also gives the child insight into how to appreciate abstract art.
Art in Early America by Randy Osofsky. In contrast to previous volumes, this book combines American history with art. Architecture, furniture, and an early photograph, a Daguerreotype, bring variety to the selections. An embroidered sampler illustrates the art that a young girl of past times typically made. A wide variety of paintings, including a sea battle, a sliced watermelon, and an Indian chief, make Art in Early America particularly interesting.
Recommendation: The Come Look With Me series is both informative and beautiful. While it is recommended for younger children, the series could be a gentle introduction to art for the entire family. The questions promote observation, and the narrative, particularly in volumes after the first, will whet the student's interest. The Art in Early America volume, an excellent addition to American history studies, offers a simple way to introduce the importance of art to people of the past.
HomeschoolChristian.com resources related to this review:
HomeschoolChristian.com's Art Page with many resources for studying art.
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