Art Appreciation Books for Kids

This lively introduction to some of the towering figures in American art inspires children to dream, create, and think. Each artist in the book is featured in a colorful, double-page spread. Author — Bradley Finger.

Learn how art can trick the mind. *13 Art Illusions Children Should Know* features classic examples of illusion in artwork alongside engaging writing that explains a variety of techniques, including trompe l’oeil, Surrealism, and Photo Realism. Author — Silke Vry.

Discover the origins of art essentials in *13 Art Inventions Children Should Know*. Read about a wide scope of breakthroughs throughout art history, including the first paint tube and the use of perspective. Author — Florian Heine.

Filled with gorgeous color reproductions and packed with fascinating information, 13 Art Movements Children Should Know presents a chronological sampling of art history's most important movements, from Romanesque to Pop. Author — Brad Finger.

Discover the captivating unsolved mysteries behind well-known art and artists in *13 Art Mysteries Children Should Know*. Featuring artists from Caravaggio to Banksy, this children’s book is filled with puzzling stories that are sure to intrigue kids.

Young readers are introduced to the wonders of da Vinci's mysterious Mona Lisa, the playful cutouts of Matisse, van Gogh's mesmerizing brushstrokes, and Vermeer's vibrant depictions of light. Games, quizzes, and other activities help readers learn. Author — Angela Wenzel.

This book brings together 13 architectural wonders that have intrigued children for years, including Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle, and the Tower of Pisa. It includes games, quizzes, drawings, and other activities. Author — Annette Roeder.

Learn about the world of Modern art! *13 Modern Artists Children Should Know* features bold artwork, profiles on popular artists, and more for children to explore. Perfect for readers ages 9–12, this art book for kids explores Modern, Pop, and Postmodern art. Author — Brad Finger.

This book introduces young readers to Mona Lisa's mysterious smile, Frida Kahlo's depiction of herself with a monkey, and Van Gogh's hypnotically swirling night sky. Thirteen iconic paintings are featured in the book in large reproductions. Author — Angela Wenzel.

This beautifully illustrated book explores some of the world's most iconic images, teaching children about the impact of photography on their world. Art historian Brad Finger shares some of the world’s most renowned pictures, which are also the most exciting for children to view and discuss. Author — Brad Finger.

This book takes a look at 13 of the world's most fascinating sculptures, including works by Michelangelo, Rodin, and Niki de Saint Phalle, and other works from around the world. Games and puzzles enhance this introduction to 3-dimensional masterpieces. Author — Angela Wenzel.

This book highlights 500 years of great art created by women, introducing young readers to amazing painters, sculptors, and photographers. The book features colorful spreads that include important works as well as portraits of the artists themselves. Author — Bettina Schuelmann.

A Year in Art is a beautifully designed activity book that introduces children to many of the world's greatest artworks and allows them to interactively explore the world's great masterpieces through games, puzzles, coloring, and other activities. Authors — Anne-Kathrin Funck, Doris Kutschbach, and Christiane Weidemann.

Introduce children to more than 50 great artists and their work with An Eye for Art, a lively family-oriented art resource. This treasure trove from the National Gallery of Art features work by Raphael, Rembrandt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Henri Matisse, Chuck Close, Jacob Lawrence, and Pablo Picasso. Author — The National Society for Art.

Children ages 5–8 will enjoy this masterclass about Vincent Van Gogh. The book tells about his life, then guides readers through drawing, coloring, and collage activities that show how Van Gogh worked and what inspired him to create the art that is still so beloved today. Author — Hanna Konola.

Create like Kandinsky! Art Masterclass with Wassily Kandinsky features over 20 drawing, sticking, and coloring activities (including 12 art lessons), 50 stickers, and a pullout poster. Author - Hanna Konola.

A full-color illustrated introduction to the lives and art of major artists developed especially for young students. Each DVD and companion book analyzes the reproductions of key master works, and children learn new ways to observe and think about art.

Children are sure to enjoy poring over this book — and come away with a fundamental understanding of how the built world has evolved over time as well as a knowledge of key architectural terms. Authors — Christine Paxmann and Anne Ibelings. Hardcover.

*Impressionism: 13 Artists Children Should Know* teaches young readers how painters from Claude Monet to John Singer Sargent introduced Impressionist styles of painting and so changed the course of art history. Author — Florian Heine.

Introduce kids to contemporary art with *Jackson Pollack Splashed Paint and Wasn’t Sorry* by Fausto Gilberti. This kids’ book captures the imagination with bold, black ink illustrations while telling the story of famed artist Jackson Pollock and his distinctive painting style. Instead of sitting in front of an easel with brushes, he poured paint over canvases rolled out across the floor, moving, splashing, and making the vivid liquid run with energy and rhythm. Written for reading levels between 4 and 7 years, this picture book is the first in a series about modern artists. Author — Fausto Gilberti

Joy, bliss, and endless creativity are all key parts of *My Art Book of Happiness* by Shana Gozansky. The board book provides children with an early introduction to the beauty and wonder of fine art as well as emotions. Richly textured and colorful, it contains 35 works of art from a variety of different periods.

When creativity and joy collide, the result is *My Art Book of Love* by Shana Gozansky. This beautifully conceived board book contains 35 full-page works of art celebrating love depicted in a variety of ways.

Beautiful moments depicting sleep in a variety of forms lends *My Art Book of Sleep* by Shana Gozansky a keepsake quality. Beautiful imagery captures those precious moments that come before little ones drift off to dreamland, while they snooze, and when they wake.

Learn about famous artists’ lives through their masterpieces. The Portrait of an Artist series dives into the lives of Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, and Georgia O’Keeffe in a clear, thoughtful way. Author — Lucy Brownridge.

The children's edition of Phaidon Press's best selling, "The Art Book" presents thirty of the most significant artists and engaging works of art from every period. Author — Amanda Renshaw.

Young children love a good game of "I Spy with My Little Eye.” In this beautifully designed book they are playfully challenged to find details "hidden” in some of the world’s greatest paintings. Author — Doris Kutschbach.

Inspired by Henri Matisse’s paper cutouts and collage work, “The Swimmers” is a great introduction to art for kids. This book starts with a short biography detailing Matisse’s life and how he started to create paper cutouts. Author — Ana Bianchi.

Show kids the illustrated story of artist Yayoi Kusama with *Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn’t Sorry.* This ink-illustrated hardcover by Fausto Gilberti introduces young students to Kusama’s work, which is comprised of many small dots. Part of a series on contemporary artists, this picture book makes an excellent gift for kids with a reading level between 4 and 7 years. Author — Fausto Gilberti.

Read *Yves Klein Painted Everything Blue and Wasn’t Sorry* by Fausto Gilberti to give kids an introduction to this contemporary French artist, who rose to fame by painting in only one color — blue. He painted canvases, globes, branches, gallery floors, and even covered people in blue paint. Black-line illustrations and blue splashes decorate the pages of this hardcover picture book, which is part of a biographical series for kids on modern-era artists. This book is written for reading levels between 4 and 7 years. Author — Fausto Gilberti.