Product Description

"A clever introduction to the world of fine art. Using the traditional `I spy with my little eye' rhyme, the book asks readers to find the numbered details in each of 20 works of art. From 1 fly in Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family...to20 angels in Botticelli's 'Mystic Nativity,' Children can study a wide variety of styles, periods, and techniques....This unusual concept book is a nice change for story hour, a good resource for art teachers, and an easy way to bring art and children together."--School Library Journal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #292127 in Books
• Published on: 1993-10-27
• Released on: 1993-10-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
From the single fly readers spy on the simple white headdress of a woman in a 15th-century portrait to the 20 angels in Botticelli's Mystic Nativity, they count their way through art history. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 5-7. Employing the same clever contrivance she used in I Spy: An Alphabet in Art , Micklethwait combines a favorite children's game with a pleasurable exercise in art appreciation. On each left-hand page of this handsome book, a number appears, written both as a word and in extra large numerals. Along with it is the name of an object--1 fly, 2 eyes, 17 birds, and so on--to be spotted, then counted, in a reproduction of a fine painting found on the opposite page. Micklethwait has taken great care not only to find pictures that will challenge children (it's no snap to find 12 squirrels in Abu'l Hasan's "Squirrels in a Plane Tree" or 15 hands and feet in Fernand L{,}eger's "Divers on a Yellow Background"), but also to represent a wide range of art styles and subjects. Although the pictures are too small to be used in a classroom exercise, they are beautifully reproduced and set against a glossy white background that ensures they'll stand out clearly during lap sharing. Each picture is identified by artist and title as it appears, and sources are appended. A pleasurable way to help young children begin to feel comfortable with fine art. Stephanie Zvirin

From Kirkus Reviews
Companion to I Spy: An Alphabet in Art (1992): an unusual counting book in which objects are ``spied'' in 19 fine paintings (mostly Western) and one woodblock print, by artists ranging from Botticelli to Robert Indiana. Not as simple as it first appears: it takes sharp eyes to find all 12 squirrels, for instance. Besides the objects named, there are lots of other things to count and puzzle over (Why is there a fly on the starched white wimple of the elegant Woman of the Hofer Family? What are the imps doing in the foreground of Mystic Nativity? And what about St. Francis's strange anatomy?). A novel and intriguing way to introduce fine art. Excellent color reproduction; artists' dates and dates and provenance of paintings given in endnotes. (Picture book. 4+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers in Art
My 21 month old loves this book. I have read it to him at least 4 times a day since we received it. Intruduces baby to the world of art while also helping him to count. The repetativness of counting outloud helps to to already identify his numbers.

Great intro to art
This is a terrific book for the preschooler and young school age child. They will enjoy hunting for the items in the pictures (For example, I spy six ducks.) and will enjoy viewing the fine art. The pictures selected are clear and engaging for children and my kindergarten students have enjoyed making their own "I Spy Two Eyes" books.

Loved This Book
Wonderful book. Great art work and a neat way to help kids learn to count. Would love to see more along these lines.