Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1172568 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 6-Believing that enjoyment of the art in picture books can be a prelude to pleasure in a museum, Blake designed an exhibit (with the same title as this book) at the National Gallery in London. The images in the show and on these pages come from European children's books and Great Britain's galleries and were chosen for their story potential. Blake's signature caricatures cavort and converse before and after each of the 26 pictures, modeling responses that invite imitation. His arrangement is alphabetical by artist, from Hendrick Avercamp to Lisbeth Zwerger. ("X," however, is an X ray of an underpainting, sure to fascinate since it is different from the surface.) Four pages are devoted to each entry. Initially, sketches of children, outlined in black and dabbed with gray/blue patches of color, carry signs that announce the artist's name. The spread that follows includes a blank, white page and then the featured art-a presentation that minimizes distraction. The fourth page provides the young visitors' emotional responses to the work. ("Nobody would buy that." "What do you think that music sounded like?") Most entries will be unfamiliar to American audiences, and some details are difficult to discern. As with any stroll through a museum, what strikes one's fancy is completely idiosyncratic. Blake's approach is an engaging path to art appreciation, with plenty of child appeal. The book concludes with illustrated and annotated attributions for each work and a list of locations/credits. A welcome addition to the realm of visual literacy for families and educators.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"This beautifully produced book will widen eyes and imaginations. Guardian Education

About the Author
Quentin Blake was born in 1932. He read English at Downing College, Cambridge, and Education at the Institute of Education, London; he also attended life classes at Chelsea School of Art, London. His first children's book was written in 1960. Since then he has illustrated over 250 books by 80 different writers, most famously Roald Dahl. He is also well known for his picture books such as Mister Magnolia, Clown and Zagazoo. He was made an OBE in 1988 and in 1999 he was appointed the first Children's Laureate.

Customer Reviews

My favorite gift to give
I'm in the period of life when friends are having children. I turn to books as a gift that is thoughtful and will always be the right size. Tell Me a Picture is always my first choice.

The book challenges not only a child of any age, but parents and grandparents as well. It's like walking through a museum. Each picture allows you to consider it through whatever lens of experience you may have. I'm often told how surprised my friends are by what their children see in these pictures that we might overlook as adults. I've found this gift especially profound for friends who are artists, aficionados and admirers.