Product Description

A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet is a remarkable journey of discovery about art and language through painting, collage, and sculpture by Caldecott Honor artist Stephen T. Johnson. With literal renderings of each letter, complete with witty titles and playful, alliterative captions, Johnson's abstract art forges connections between words, objects, and ideas.

Can you find the hidden letters? Look closely and you will see a letter C made of colorful candy, a letter H hidden in a hook, and an S in a soft shadow. From A to Z, each stunning, original work of art will stimulate the imagination and creativity of children and adults alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190318 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689863011
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up—This exciting alphabetic compendium began with a dictionary. Following years of study and work as a realistic painter, Johnson found himself wanting to explore abstract art. He started by collecting words for each letter of the alphabet. Then, he created a piece based on their meanings. For example, the caption for Dotty Diptych reads "Densely distributed dominoes, divided by dark and light dots on dual panels, disappear under drips of dramatically dashed paint dribbling downwards." Inside the white border of the page is the vivid reproduction of two wooden panels covered in dominoes. As with each of the 26 works of art, there is more to be discovered. Here, yellow and white paint covers some of the dominoes, transforming everyday game pieces into dimpled bricks. Also, Johnson has hidden a letter of the alphabet in most of his creations. The works vary from paintings and collages to sculptures to installations, and an index reveals the locations of the hidden letters as well as dimensions and materials for the pieces. Children will enjoy seeing everyday objects like candy used in his creations, and will no doubt be inspired to come up with some abstract art of their own. This book may easily spark discussions about what can be used to make art and who decides what it is. In an author's note, Johnson shares his thoughts on this matter. For more inspiration, see Joyce Raimondo's What's the Big Idea? Activities and Adventures in Abstract Art (Watson-Guptill, 2008).—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO
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About the Author
Stephen T. Johnson is the creator of such well-known children's books as the Publishers Weekly bestseller My Little Red Toolbox, the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner My Little Yellow Taxi, and the Caldecott Honor, New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Alphabet City and the New York Times Best Illustrated and ALA Notable Book A is for Art.

His drawings and paintings are in numerous private and permanent collections, including the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Solo exhibitions of his work have been featured at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, New York; the Katonah Museum of Art, New York; and the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas. Among his public art is a mosaic mural at the DeKalb Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, New York, and a 70-foot mural planned for 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Johnson and his family make their home in Lawrence, Kansas. Visit him at www.stephenjohnsonstudio.com/.

Customer Reviews

A fun intro to the avant and abstract side of letters
My kids, aged six and under, love this book. We take our time reading it so they can spot all the hidden letters and try to figure out the art. Because the works depicted are so different, so full of colors, and so much fun to look at the kids enjoy it every time the open it. While the typical alphabet book usually bores both adults and kids, A is For Art is the opposite of boring.

Indeed, each time I look at a page, I notice something new somewhere and so do my kids. The text, too, is well done. By the end of each paragraph there will be no way your child will not know the sound the illustrated letter makes. While this book is a far cry from a classically illustrated children's book it is just the antidote for the routine.

I Spy meets Dictionary via Artist
This is one crazy book. It is obvious a lot of thought and work went into making it, but I'm not sure if it's a children's book. If you ever saw an I Spy book, this is something like it in the sense the author encourages the viewer to find hidden letters in the original works of art used for each letter of the alphabet. This is the only reason my 6 and 7 year olds were interested in the book. Many of the words used, however, are of a high reading level. For each letter, a picture of a work of art is used to tie in with words that mostly start with the letter in question. Some of the words describe what you are looking at in a conceptual way ("graduations of green, gray and gold....") while others simply tell you what to look for ("Pancakes. Potato chips. Pencils....."). After reading some of the text, I asked my kids if they knew what I said. They plainly stated "no." Here are some examples: ".....monochromatic magenta mass mimics...." "A visually vertiginous vocalise." "...quartered by quadrants, with quadrilaterals...." I thought maybe, since my kids are really into art, they would be interested in the artwork itself (there's also a detailed description of each piece of work at the end of the book), but they weren't. So, if your kids are into learning the meaning of higher level words, this might be a way to expose them to it. If your kids are into art, maybe this book is a good way to expose them to it (the artwork used is based in many different mediums). Otherwise, it's a high end I Spy book.

This is NOT your preschoolers' alphabet book...
This book is for artists and people who truly appreciate abstract art. Unless you spend a bit of time really understanding what went into the creation of each eye-catching page, you'll be through with it in a jiff and onto the next book without a backwards glance.

My son was not intrigued in the least and I couldn't blame him. But going back and recognizing the scope of work that went into the representation of each letter...well, THEN it became remarkable. Seeing the 'R'(titled "Recycled")represented by a collage of Rubber bands on epoxy Resin, for instance, or the 'D' ("Dotty Diptych") illustrated by an amazing compilation of dominoes on wooden panels (80x70 inches!), is pretty impressive when you think about it. I think people who understand, first hand, how such artistic concepts are fleshed out will really enjoy this book - whether they have a child or not. They may want to use it as a coffee table book, in fact. However, I don't think the casual picture book browser will enjoy it as much.