Katie and the Sunflowers

By James Mayhew, Wikipedia

Year: 2000

Publisher: Orchard Books, London

Age: 5 - 9 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book

ISBN:  978 1 84121 634 8

This is the first time we’ve come across a book that skillfully introduces the enchanting world of art, the masters and their timeless masterpieces to little ones.

The story weaves in Paul Gauguin’s Breton Girls Dancing and Tahitian Pastorale, Paul Cezanne’s Still Life with Apples and Oranges and Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Café Terrace at Night.

We loved it!

Excerpt

The gallery was full of warm sunny paintings. Katie liked a painting called Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh.

The sunflowers looked dry and crunchy and were full of seeds.

Fancy Nancy at the Museum

Text: Jane O’Connor

Illustrations: Robin Preiss Glasser, Wikipedia

Year: 2008

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, USA

Age: 5 – 8 years

No. of Pages: 28

Book Type: Picture Book

Website: Fancy Nancy World, Wikipedia

ISBN:  978 0 00789 239 6

This cheery book with cheerier illustrations is a masterpiece!

Nancy is excited about her class trip to a museum to see some masterpieces. Nancy's day almost turns awful when gets sick on the way after eating two lunches but kind Ms. Glass turns it all around.

This fantastic book very cleverly introduces children to a few big art-related words and their meanings. The illustrations are more than impressive! The book certainly deserves a place in your little girl’s library. :-)

Check out Fancy Nancy's website here! 

Excerpt

Ms Glass tells us, “Today we will see masterpieces! That’s a fancy word for great paintings.”

The bus ride is very bumpy.

Bump! Bump! Bump!

Sam’s Bush Journey

Text: Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Illustrations: Bronwyn Bancroft

Year: 2009

Publisher: Little Hare Books, Australia

Age: 5 - 9 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book, Traditional

ISBN:  978 1 92154 172 8

Little Sam is visiting his nanna. He loves the experience except that her house is surrounded by the (Australian) bush – he gets scratched by spiky shrubs and bitten by mosquitoes. Nanna believes that one day he will love the bush.

Sam isn’t so sure until he has a dream where he’s lost. He finds shelter, food and water in the bush and begins to appreciate the role of the bush in the circle of life.

This eye-opener features colorful Aboriginal art and celebrates the beauty and self-sufficiency of nature.  

Excerpt

But Sam didn’t know where to find the waterhole.

Then he heard the birds singing. His nanna had told him that birds gather by the water, so he followed the sound. 

Beautiful Ballerinas

Text: Elizabeth Dombey

Illustration: Shelagh McNicholas

Year: 2014

Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap, New York

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 0 44846 714 6

My 4-year-old zoomed into this book at the library like a bee to a flower. She’s passionate about ballet, rather, her idea of ballet and ballerinas.

This book is a soft introduction to ballet for little girls, and combines cute illustrations with photographs. The book touches on basic positions; common terms and also devotes eight pages to the history and evolution of the art. 

It should keep your budding artist engaged for quite some time! :-)

Excerpt

Now on to the allegro (say: ah-LEG-roh) portion of class!

The music picks up and the dancers perform faster, livelier steps, such as turns and small jumps.

Then it’s time for grand allegro, which is a series of large jumps.