Art History & Movements, Art - General & Miscellaneous, Size & Shape, Puzzles

I Spy Shapes in Art

Name: I Spy Shapes in Art
Author: Lucy Micklethwait
ISBN: 9780060731939

by Lucy Micklethwait

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Overview

Each of the fourteen magnificent paintings in this book contains a different shape for you to find. Some are easy to spot, and others are more challenging. But take a closer look — after you think you've found them all, there are even more shapes to look at and discover.

I Spy Shapes in Art features a remarkable variety of artists from around the world, including Georgia O'Keeffe, Henri Matisse, and M.C. Escher. This picture book pairs a classic game with timeless art, making it the perfect way to introduce fine art to children.

Presents objects with the shape of a heart, a triangle, a square and other shapes through paintings by such artists as Magritte, Escher, and Matisse.

Synopsis

Child Magazine

Art appreciation is all fun and games with this latest installment in the I Spy in Art series. Prompted by "I spy with my little eye ... a cone," kids will zero in on a funnel-shaped roof and a receding road in a work by Rene Magritte. Thoughtfully chosen paintings by artists such as Andy Warhol and Henri Matisse will intrigue on their own, but the "I spy" hook encourages kids to dig a little deeper. (Ages 4 to 6)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004

About the Author, Lucy Micklethwait

Lucy Micklethwait says, "I began to play 'I Spy' with paintings with my own children when they were very young. Over and over again my children pointed out things which I had never noticed before—an apple that had fallen to the floor, a funny-shaped shoe, an expression on a face. Although we were simply 'looking at pictures,' I was well aware that, by making these paintings accessible, I was enabling my children to build up a store of images in their own minds which must inevitably lead to some interest in fine art." Ms. Micklethwait's books for children include I Spy Shapes in Art; I Spy: An Alphabet in Art; I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers in Art.

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Editorials

From The Critics

Publishers Weekly

Shape recognition and fine art once again intersect in Lucy Micklethwait's I Spy Shapes in Art. Of her earlier title, I Spy: An Alphabet in Art, PW wrote in a starred review, "Micklethwait has fashioned a remarkably rich investigation into the pleasures of looking at paintings." Here she demonstrates different shapes by highlighting 14 pieces of art from the likes of Matisse, O'Keeffe and Warhol (a Campbell's soup can illustrates "a cylinder"). While the "answer" is never difficult, the works often feature numerous shapes, leaving room for further exploration. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Imagine how exciting it could be to create enthusiasm for art in children as young as two or three! Lucy Micklethwait has done just that by inviting the young reader to play a familiar game using fourteen works of nineteenth and twentieth century art as springboards. Can the youngster "spy" the square in the Kandinsky, or the oval in the Klee? Once these simple questions engage the child's interest, it would be nearly impossible not to continue picking out other elements in the paintings and discussing them. In the process, of course, the child learns to look very carefully at the art, and thus, to begin appreciating it. This is a clever approach to learning that cannot fail to delight, an instructive, playful rainy-day read or a prelude to a visit to an art gallery. Lucy Micklethwait has taken a simple idea and developed a magnificent learning tool. Anyone who deals with young children on a regular basis would immediately recognize the benefits of this imaginative, well-designed picture book. 2004, Greenwillow Books, Ages 3 up.
—Michele Tremaine

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Micklethwait's contributions to the literature of art appreciation for children are many; here she uses the "I Spy" format to encourage youngsters to seek out particular shapes in reproductions of paintings. The 19th- and 20th-century works are mostly European and American in origin. Georgia O'Keeffe, Henri Matisse, M. C. Escher, and Andy Warhol are among the artists represented. A colorful, clean design is coupled with a large font, making this a book that new readers will be able to enjoy independently. Captions with titles and artists are provided below the text. A list of locations and dates of the paintings is appended. The author's foreword suggests simple ideas for using this vibrant volume. Like Bob Raczka's More Than Meets the Eye (Millbrook, 2003), this is a welcome introduction to visual literacy for the youngest clientele.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.