Tate Kids Modern Art / British Art Activity Books by Sharna Jackson and James Lambert (Tate Publishing)

Two awesomely inspirational art activity books for double the fun!

These two happy and delightful little books dropped through our letterbox courtesy of the awesome folk at Tate Publishing. Publishers are slowly realising that children engage with famous works of art at an increasingly early age, not just from a historical point of view but also from a technical one. How did artists produce such dazzling, vibrant and imaginative works of art? What was the process? Just how do you become a famous artist? These and many more questions are often asked and these fabulous activity books provide even more fun and inspiration as they take a look at Modern Art and British Art in separate volumes.

The books talk about each piece of art in turn, ranging from the sublime seascapes by JMW Turner to the 'acquired taste' of Damien Hurst's "Mother and Child Divided".

After examining each piece of art and the history behind it, children are encouraged to have a go themselves with a series of art challenges and activities based around the ideas and inspirations of the original work.

These books work on several levels, providing a brilliant interactive experience that parents and children can both join in with, producing their own works of art. They're also hugely informative reference books in their own right too.

We're hoping that Tate Kids are planning more volumes in the series, we're desperately waiting for the Dutch, French and Spanish editions just so Charlotte's favourite artists all get a look in (Van Gogh, Seurat and Picasso just in case you were wondering!)

Utterly awesome, what a great idea to get kids thinking about and engaging with art!

Charlotte's best bit: The superb (and quite messy!) soap-carving activities based around Barbara Hepworth's amazing sculpture work.

Daddy's favourite bit: A ton of activities and facts to pique a child's artistic curiosity. What a brilliant way to get kids interested in art at an early age! We approve!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Tate Publishing)