Art

Cartoonist and picture-book artist Patrick McDonnell, whose creations range from the Mutts comic-strip to the recent picture-book biography of Jane Goodall, Me...Jane, here spins the delightful tale of Art and art. "This Is Art. And This Is Art. Art And His Art. Can You Tell Them Apart?" the book begins, playfully combining word and image in a story of a creative young boy (Art), and his many wonderful paintings (art). As the cover suggests, Art can be a bit of a Jackson Pollock, but the young boy also experiments with everything from dots to spirals, eventually falling right into one of his creations...

Chosen as one of our January selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Books About show more Artists," Art is a cleverly-written, charmingly-illustrated tribute to the creative process. I was reminded a bit of Harold and the Purple Crayon, particularly when Art falls asleep and winds up in a full-color painting of his own creation. I don't think this was a conscious reference on McDonnell's part, so much as a serendipitous sympathy between the stories that I happened to notice because I recently read Crockett Johnson's classic tale. Leaving that aside, I enjoyed both text and image here, and how they worked together - always a sign of a good picture-book! - and I appreciated the sweet ending with Art's mother. Recommended to all young artists and art lovers, and to fans of Patrick McDonnell's work. show less

This book was one of my favorites so far that I have read during my time in this corse. It shows a young boy and the many artistic creations he has made. It explains how anything can be art and how inspired art is a form of expression. It also subtly hints at how extremely important art is and how a picture is truly worth a thousand words. I feel that this would be an important book to read to a classroom of young students. It offers very little words on each page and has very short and simple sentences. The art work itself is amazing and follows the story perfectly. I would recommend this book be read in all classroom with young students in order to express how truly important art is.

Another play on the name/concept of Art, but McDonnell executes this one perfectly. Simple, rhyming text and dynamic illustrations make this a great choice for storytime.

Art is about a little boy named Art who loves to draw. He paints, scribbles, and blotches all over the white pages. He has a creative mind and his imaginations are painted everywhere. What I liked most about this book is that it shows art does not have to be perfect. Drawing and painting can be messy. There is not one way to draw that is correct or wrong. This book would be a great read aloud to my kindergarten class and can be followed up with an art activity.

This is a delightful story about Art, who loves to make art. The interplay between words and illustrations is such a treat.

The book art is about a boy named Art. Art is creative, he likes to draw in different ways. I like how the author has personified art as a young boy. It's like art can never be something restrained like a child. It can be wild and creative and free.

Art loves to make art. He draws scribbles, dots, blotches and doodles that all cover up the refrigerator. His mother puts them there because she loves Art, too. The illustrations in this book are simple and child-like but they are perfect because they make you feel as if you are right alongside Art watching him draw and paint.