Art History Activity Books

These beautifully illustrated books make art history lessons come alive with engaging and fun hands-on activities. They illustrate how each artist gained inspiration and created art to express their innermost feelings, as well as provide a source of joy and fun.

Kids are encouraged to create a mural with a message reminiscent of Diego Rivera's work, make collages like the surrealists, design maps inspired by the work of Leonardo da Vinci, etc. Includes resources such as web links, glossaries, museum guides, timelines.

Appropriate for grades 5 and up.

Paperback. 8½" × 11" (22 cm × 28 cm).

Salvador Dalí and the Surrealists — The bizarre and often humorous creations of René Magritte, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, and other surrealists are showcased in this activity guide for young artists. Dalí was a painter, filmmaker, designer, and performance artist. His famous icons — including melting watches, double images, and everyday objects set in odd contexts — helped to define the way people view reality and encourage children to view the world in new ways. Includes 21 wild and wonderful activities, including solar prints, filming a Dalí-esque dreamscape video, writing surrealist poetry, making collages, and assembling art with found objects. Author — Michael Eisohn Ross. 144 pages. Ages 10 and up.

Frank Llloyd Wright for Kids — This book explores the famous architect's life and ideas in 21 different activities. Author — Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen. 144 pages. 75 color illustrations and 45 black and white photos. Ages 8 and up.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera — This book explores the lives and ideas of two influential Mexican artists. It includes 24 activities to inspire and educate children. Author — Carol Sabbeth. 160 pages. 50 color photos. 12 black and white photos, 13 black and white illustrations. Ages 9 and up.

Leonardo da Vinci for Kids — This beautifully illustrated four-color biography and activity book celebrates the marriage of art and science. Kids will begin to understand the important discoveries that da Vinci made through 21 inspiring activities such as determining the launch angle of a catapult, sketching birds and other animals, creating a map, and learning to look at a painting. It also includes a glossary, bibliography, listing of pertinent museums and websites, timeline, and fascinating sidebars. Author — Janis Herbert. 104 pages. Ages 8 and up.

Monet and the Impressionists for Kids — This is a book that invites children to delight in Mary Cassatt's mothers and children, Renoir's dancers and Gaugin's island scenes. There are 21 different activities in which to explore Monet's quick, shimmering brush strokes, Cezanne's brilliant rectangles of color, Seurat's pointillism and Degas' circles of dancers. Readers will learn how the artists' friendships sustained them through repeated rejection by the Parisian art world, and how they lived, painted, and thrilled to the vibrant life of Paris at the approach of the 20th century. It includes a resource guide to important museums and websites around the world. Author — Carol Sabbeth. 152 pages. Ages 9 and up.