Books for the Youngest Artist

Growing up as an American child in St. Petersburg, Russia, I was surrounded by magnificent art. In fact, for several years, I actually lived on the same street as The State Hermitage Museum, which is one of the world’s finest art museums, and home to works of art by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Degas, Monet, Picasso, and Cezanne, just to drop a few names. Beginning at the age of seven, my Russian classmates and I took monthly trips to the Hermitage to observe and study different paintings and sculptures.

Now, as a mother raising her children in Fort Worth, I am so thankful that we too have access to great works of art at the Kimbell Museum of Art, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Modern Museum of Art. Just last week, I took my two year old and both one year olds for their first tour of the Kimbell. Lest you think I am some kind of super mama who can entrance her three toddlers with Renaissance artwork . . . truth be told we spent 15 minutes tops looking at art, and most of the time playing on the museum’s lovely lawn.

Since my own introduction to art began at a young age, I am determined that my children’s love for art will start early too, which is why I am providing a list of some of my favorite books for the youngest of art aficionados. I want my children’s art education to be a natural extension of our everyday learning and reading, and what better way to do this than stocking our shelves with beautiful art books.

Mini Masters Boxed Set by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober is a series of board books I stumbled across while browsing the MoMa gift shop in New York City. Each book features the works of one major artist. This particular box set showcases Degas, Matisse, Monet, and Van Gogh. There are other books that can be added to this collection, highlighting the works of Mary Cassett, Renior, and Picasso. I love each books as a beautiful little introduction to art that even babies enjoy.

Musuem Shapes is a part of a series of wonderful books published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These also come in board books for younger children. Every page displays an image from the MET’s collection and is an excellent way to familiarize a child with famous and influential works of art.

I SPY: An Alphabet in Art  by Lucy Micklethwait is one I recently checked out from the Fort Worth Library, and found it to be another great art primer. On every other page there is a work of art, and then a rhyming sentence with an “I Spy” challenge to find in each work of art. This book is geared to an older preschooler or early elementary age child.

Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story about Vincent Van Gogh by Laurence Anholt is a beautifully illustrated story about Van Gogh’s unique friendship with a little boy in a small French town. Laurence Anholt has also written and illustrated  many other similar books such as Degas and the Little Dancer and the Magical Garden of Claude Monet, all good behind-the-scenes looks at the lives and influences on some of the world’s best artists.

The Art Book by editors of Phaidon Press is a title I recently added to our home library.  Although it is written for an adult audience (there is also the Art Book for Children, which I am sure is excellent, though I am not familiar with it), this little, fat book will be another way of introducing my children to the great works of art.  I anticipate pulling this one of the shelf with my three-year-old son, flipping through it, and looking at a picture or two.

Finally, if you are interested in teaching your child a little about color theory, then my friend, Kathryn, who is mama to two little ones and an artist during nap time (check out her work at The Naptime Project), suggests these two titles: Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh and Little Yellow and Little Blue by Leo Linni.

What are some of your favorite art books for children?