Review by New York Times Review
A kid-friendly guide to great art, an illustrated update of 'The Jungle Book,' a travel book for fearless young explorers and more. ONE OF THE more rewarding parts of parenting has to be watching your kids take to something with the kind of ferocity you might've forgotten was possible - whether it's playing center midfield or mastering a sonata, or obsessing over every last variety of shark species. The most obvious step to igniting or sustaining that passion is, obviously, handing them a book - preferably a large, lovely, immersive book to get lost in over long vacation days. YOU KNOW THE KID who can conjure an entire imaginary world by animating, say, the sugar packets she finds at the restaurant table? That one will thank you when you put any volume of MY BIG WIMMELBOOK (The Experiment, 16 pp. each, $12.95; ages 2 to 5), written and illustrated by Stefan Lohr and Max Walth, in front of her. Picture Richard Scarryesque, diorama-like spreads with a hint of "Where's Waldo" junior detective. The combination should encourage long contemplative sit-downs that will make any parent's heart sing. Similar to Scarry's famous village-wide cross-sections, Wimmelbook scenes are teeming with subscenes and silly minutiae. A beach-andocean spread in "Animals Around the World," which presumably takes place near Australia, shows crabs scurrying up the sand, cartoonish whales and squid swimming through the bottom of the page, airplanes and blimps flying among sea gulls and messenger birds (holding envelopes in their beaks), and a few hapless characters we meet at the beginning with instructions to find them on every page. (Oh no! Poor Stuart getting bitten by a crab!) Originally published in Germany - where Wimmelbooks are a standard part of young childhood - the four large-format board-book volumes that hit the States this year are "Cars and Things That Go," "On the Farm," "At the Construction Site" and "Animals Around the World." LIKE ALL THE BEST children's books, A HISTORY OF PICTURES FOR CHILDREN (Abrams, 128 pp., $24.99; ages 10 to 14), written by the artist David Hockney and the critic Martin Gayford, with illustrations by Rose Blake, is as interesting for adults as it is for their charges. It turns out that in addition to painting California pools, Hockney has a giftfor communicating his kidlike enthusiasm for works of art that many of us have seen so many times we don't really see them anymore. "I have no idea how he did it!" he writes about the deep shadows on the Mona Lisa as part of a larger discussion on light. Or of his own work: "Painting water is a great challenge - but it's a nice problem!" Or, when describing his experience watching Disney's "Pinocchio" frame by frame: "When I noticed how it was done, I was astonished. There are passages that look like Chinese art and Japanese prints, with white sea foam and swirling waves. . . . It's fantastic." Indeed, one of the more fun parts about this book is Hockney and Gayford's ability to integrate so many facets of pop culture into the discussion; just try to read about that "Pinocchio" scene without rushing to YouTube to see what he's talking about. Geared toward tweens and early teens, the book jampacks information on every spread, but everything is broken down into digestible chunks. It's the kind of book you want lying around in the TV room, welcoming kids to dip in and out or just flip through and familiarize themselves with some of the most famous works of art in history. IT'S NO SECRET that the fastest way to a kid's heart is with the words "Let me tell you a story." Add a layer of unexpectedness to that promise, and you've got the winning formula for Atlas Obscura, the online magazine dedicated to uncovering the most wondrous places on earth. THE ATLAS OBSCURA EXPLORER'S GUIDE FOR THE WORLD'S MOST ADVENTUROUS KID (Workman, 110 pp., $19.95; ages 9 to 12), written by Dylan Thuras and Rosemary Mosco and illustrated by Joy Ang, offers brief, kid-friendly true tales about some of the more fascinating man-made and natural spectacles across the world. Kids can read about 100 off-the-map places to visit, including the Russian town of Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited place on earth, where schools don't close unless the temperature drops to 62 below zero. Or the German amusement park built in an abandoned nuclear power plant. Or the underwater ruins of an Egyptian coastal town that disappeared 2,300 years ago, and which archaeologists are digging up temple by temple, treasure by treasure. This one is perfect for vacations and long road trips. YEAH, WE KNOW, there's an app for that - many in fact - but if the point is to curb the screen time, Sara Gillingham's SEEING STARS: A Complete Guide to the 88 Constellations (Phaidon, 213 pp., $24.95; ages 7 to 10) has as good a shot as anything for teaching your kid how much there is to see if you just look up. Quite literally. The book organizes the 88 official constellations into two sections: "ancient" (constellations first recorded thousands of years ago) and "modern" (those identified during the age of exploration, 1500-1700). Every spread is dedicated to one constellation and includes how-to-find information (assuming you live in the right hemisphere, which it tells you too); a full-page image of its connectthe- dot shape rendered in a celestially inspired teal-navy-gold palette; and the stories (mythological or historical) behind those shapes and clusters. "Stars are not only beautiful to look at," Gillingham reminds us. They once helped farmers figure out planting seasons, guided explorers and travelers, and, most crucially for our purposes today, offered inspiration to retell stories and legends and make sense of a mysterious otherworld. "The stories can still develop and change, as they have over thousands of years," she writes. "You, too, can be a part of those stories." HERE'S ONE FOR the kid most likely to show up at the next March for Science (or for the kid you wish would join you there): Charles Darwin's ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES: Young Reader's Edition (Atheneum, 176 pp., $25.99; ages 10 and up), adapted by Rebecca Stefoff, with illustrations by Teagan White. Darwin's manifesto, first published in 1859, laid out his theory of natural selection, the idea that species changed over time to adapt to their surroundings, as opposed to being divinely created in present form. Because this theory was so world-rocking - to the scientific community and beyond - the original edition includes mountains of dense evidence. Stefoff's edition doesn't have to work so hard, and the result is a streamlined, simplified version, helped along by an introduction covering biographical information on Darwin - kids might be interested to know he was not a standout student). There are also boxes like "The Making of the Modern Dog," explaining how two radically different breeds within the same species, chihuahuas and Great Danes, came to be. MOST CHILDREN (and most parents) are more likely to have seen the Disney versions of "The Jungle Book" than to have read Rudyard Kipling's 19th-century story collection about Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves. But you don't have to be wellversed in either to enjoy INTO THE JUNGLE: Stories for Mowgli (Walker Books, 234 pp., $24.99; ages 8 to 11), written by Katherine Rundell and illustrated by Kristjana S. Williams, an oversize, richly illustrated, heirloom-quality book of origin stories for the characters who populated Mowgli's jungle world. Here is the lame ferocious tiger Shere Khan, whose anger, we learn, can be traced back to his abusive father; Baloo the bear, who became a champion for the smaller, lesser species by learning to speak their languages; Mowgli's wolf mother, Raksha, who saved her baby brother using the one-two punch of agility and words. Rundell has geared the book toward readers ages 8 to 11, but her lyrical words feel as though they were written to be read aloud in front of a fire in a slow, craggly voice: "A tiger has a very specific smell to a wolf. It smells of metal and heat and spit. It smells of take-care and stayaway." It's impossible not to imagine a room full of younger kids transfixed by the hypnotic action. If Rundell's storytelling doesn't do it for them, the illustrations surely will. Williams's richly drawn jungle scapes are equal parts gorgeous and haunting, an irresistible combination. JENNY ROSENSTRACH writes about books and food on her blog, Dinner: A Love Story. She is the author of three books, including, most recently, "How to Celebrate Everything."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 11, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
Famed contemporary painter Hockney, along with art critic Gayford, offer an inviting, pleasant stroll through art history in this colorful, winsomely illustrated volume. Beginning with the first known artwork cave paintings Hockney and Gayford expound on art in alternating, conversational paragraphs, covering techniques, such as printing and calligraphy; movements, including cubism and impressionism; and innovations, from the camera obscura to video game design. Adapting the text from their adult book, A History of Pictures (2016), Hockney and Gayford offer paragraphs that might occasionally be a bit hard to follow for kids unfamiliar with the subject, but their commentaries about the well-reproduced artwork on almost every page offers keen, illuminating insight on how to look at and appreciate art. Blake's genial, bright, cartoonish art, scattered throughout the pages, adds to the welcoming atmosphere, and while the view of art history presented here is unfortunately pretty conventional (mostly men, mostly European or American), the tools Hockney and Gayford use to talk about everything from prehistoric handprints to iPhone photography will spark kids thinking about what constitutes art.--Sarah Hunter Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Artist Hockney and art critic Gayford take a conceptual approach to art history, moving between topics (why we make art, what makes art interesting) rather than presenting a linear overview of art movements and eras. Descriptive headings and guiding questions open the sections, which include "Watch this Space: How do artists set the scene?" and "Mirrors and Reflections: How do artists play with light?" Blake integrates original illustrations, which include playful representations of the collaborators (and Hockney's pets). The authors also ask questions, explore historical context, address the psychological dimensions of works, and, refreshingly, share their own associations and perspectives on the pieces. The rich volume urges readers to think of art history as a living communication between artists past, present, and future. Ages 10-14. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Famed artist Hockney and British art critic Gayford team up to have "conversations" about "pictures" created throughout history. The works shown, a number of which are by Hockney, include cave art, paintings, photographs, movies, and computer-generated drawings. Though this art history survey doesn't take a strictly linear, chronological approach, the authors' knowledge and insight, shared in clear, straightforward language, helps readers understand how various artistic techniques and tools have been similar through the ages; are interconnected in some ways; and have served as influences on each other, though separated by geography and eras. Topics include the basics of picture creation: making marks, light and shadows, using space (perspective and telling stories through pictures), mirrors and reflections, painting and photography, and moving pictures. The text has a freewheeling, meandering tone. The majority of the included pieces and artists are Western; few women are represented, even as subjects. The book's design is attractive and colorful. Each speaker is identified by first name and a different typeface, and the pages are enhanced by illustrations that provide witty commentaries throughout. -VERDICT Recommended for large public library and school library collections. In art classes, challenge students to make art, inspired by Hockney or other artists herein.-Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Organized topically, an accessible dialogue between artist Hockney and art critic Gayford guides kids in looking at pictures, from paintings to selfies. Blake's whimsical drawings of the authors (and Hockney's funny dachshunds) provide a playful frame for the full-color artworks and astute observations in the text. A kid-friendly introduction to art history that will have young artists reaching for their crayons--or iPads. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Iconic British postwar realist painter Hockney and art critic Gayford have reimagined their art-history survey for adults, A History of Pictures (2016), with judicious, kid-friendly editing, inventive design, clever pacing, smart and spot-on examples, and the bright, fresh illustrations of fellow Brit Blake. Best experienced as a practiced and delightfully immersive conversation between friends who love to think, talk, argue, teach, and most of all, really look at pictures and make art, this edition includes eight well-organized and provocatively themed chapters, ranging from "making marks" to "light and shadows," from "mirrors and reflections" to photography, movies, and, finally, computer art. (Hockney is both an expert on lenses as painting tools used by the Old Masters and a modern master of iPad paintings.) Blake's contributions on each page act as a visual descant of sorts, adding notes of color and whimsy. A winding path takes cartoon characters (all white) from The Last Supper to Nighthawks to demonstrate their storytelling similarities, for instance. Her abundant full-page and spot art includes portraits of the artist and the critic exploring the real world and the world of art. Hockney's famous dogs, Stanley and Boodgie, also have cameos. Examples are heavy on the Europeans, but select East Asian examples expand the scope somewhat.A brilliant, knockout collaborationone that will continue to excite, provoke, and engage kids and their grown-ups. (timeline of inventions, glossary, notes, bibliography, list of illustrations, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
