Katie and the Mona Lisa

I truthfully wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I put it on hold at the library. I chose it because we are studying Italy at the moment, and I thought it would be fun to look at a particular painting with my students. I read it aloud to a group of K-2 students, and pretended the main character (Katie) was actually me, because we have the same name. As I read I made interjections about the story, but looking back it might have been fun to read it from a first person perspective. Regarding the story, Mona Lisa and Katie take a tour through various paintings in the museum, seeking someone or something that can make Mona Lisa smile again. The dialogue is entertaining and the authors grasp of the stories or backgrounds of the show more individual stories is commendable. It was fun to see Katie talking to Saint George and dancing with the maidens in Primavera. The illustrations were fun and reflective of the paintings Katie and Mona Lisa were visiting. The bright colors and detail used made it seem like a fairy tale, and I can imagine reading this as a child, inspecting all of the intriguing small details. Lastly, I like that the paintings Katie and Mona Lisa travel through are images of the actual paintings when viewed inside the museum. This is a tactic used by other authors (Ian Falconer with Olivia, for example) and it makes an effort at exposing children to art, which I appreciate. show less

This book tells the story of a little girl named Katie who meets the Mona Lisa in an art museum. The Mona Lisa then takes Katie inside other famous painting in the exhibit. With that being said the illustrations in this book might be my favorite so far because of how it could change the way kids see art in a museum. The told the story of what's going on in each painting and gave it "life". The artist illustrated are Sandro Botticelli, Vittore Carpaccio, and lastly a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci.

In this book, I learned about the Italian Renaissance and some of the famous paintings done during this time. The book introduced paintings such as the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci. I enjoyed this book very much, mostly because I like learning about art and different artists. While reading I realized that I was familiar with many of the paintings done during the Italian Renaissance. My favorite painting is by Botticelli. He painted the "Primavera", which means springtime. The painting contains many beautiful colors and is very happy and bright. One way to connect this book to the curriculum is by going on a field trip to the Renaissance fair that they have every year in Hammond. You can also do a project where each student selects a show more famous painter, scientist, or inventor from the Renaissance and does a drawing or essay on them. show less

Katie and her grandmother loved visiting the museum when they spent time together. Often grandmother would fall asleep, leaving young Katie to venture off to visit her beloved Mona Lisa, who joined her on many spectacular adventures throughout the museum.

2015 edition does *not* have the information on the Italian Renaissance another reviewer saw in his book. It does have a suggestion of doing self-portraits. In any case, I definitely want more... this is a read just once book, not the keeper it should be... imo.

Carlota va al museo con su abuela y allí le asalta una pregunta! ¿Por qué sonrie Monna Lisa? Lo descubrirá introcuciéndose en cinco cuadros del renacimiento italiano: Monna Lisa, de Leonardo; Ángel con laúd de un discípulo de Leonardo; San Jorge y el dragón, de Rafael; La primavera de Sandro Botticelli; y el león de San Marcos, de Vittore Carpaccio.