The Louvre in Closeup

Publishers Weekly

Children can scrutinize many masterpieces in the oversize, paper-over-board Louvre in Close-Up by Claire d'Harcourt. This companion to Art Up Close examines 24 reproductions of art housed in the famed Parisian museum. Each spread (with works such as Imeneminet's coffin [1080-664 BC] and Fra Angelico's The Coronation of the Virgin] includes magnified details, which readers can attempt to locate within the entire piece (answers are provided in the back, along with further information about the artist or artistic media). Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-8-Beginning with a sarcophagus from ancient Egypt, this walk through art history is arranged chronologically and encompasses a variety of objets d'art including a Greek amphora, a Roman mosaic, Gothic stained glass, a Brussels tapestry, and Islamic ceramics. Emphasis, however, seems to be on painting in the European tradition. A few etchings and engravings round out the presentation. Choosing the pieces from the Louvre's extensive collection to grace the pages of this oversized book must have been a daunting task, but each department, with the exception of sculpture, is represented by at least one object. Every piece is given a full page or most of a spread, making the reproductions ideal for classroom viewing. As many as 10 small vignettes have been enlarged from the works to show details. Looking for them in the larger artworks encourages viewers to study the fine points of the paintings closely and inspires a more in-depth analysis of the whole. The final section describes each work, provides biographical information on the artist, and contains flaps that can be lifted to reveal numbered clues for locating the vignettes. While the descriptive text is more suited to teen or adult readers, the reproductions can be enjoyed by any age and the picture-book format will appeal to a younger audience. An excellent choice for the whole family to enjoy together after a museum visit or for library browsers who delight in poring over famous artworks, this book would also be ideal for classroom presentations.-Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Less a museum tour than an exercise in looking closely at art, this oversized gallery presents 34 works-all, with two exceptions, by European artists-from the Louvre, each bordered by a dozen or so enlarged details that viewers are invited to spot in the originals. At the end, brief, but dense essays on each piece's medium and meaning accompany visual keys that appear beneath flaps. Despite a closing note on the museum's history, readers won't come away with a clear picture of the Louvre's scope or design, nor is this likely to attract fans of Walter Wick's "I Spy" series and the like. Still, Eurocentrism aside, it should have some use in arts education, alongside Lucy Micklethwait's primers. (Nonfiction. 8-10). . . Donaldson, JuliaTHE SNAIL AND THE WHALEIllus. by Axel SchefflerDial (32 pp.)$16.99Mar. 2004