Many 8 year olds have pictures on their wall. Perhaps a couple of posters of One Direction or that famous android singer Taylor Swift. Charlotte has a huge poster of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" which, I guess, is partly my fault.
I've always tried to interest her in art and artists and she was particularly taken by Van Gogh's work, so much so that she asked for the poster for Christmas and so we sourced one, framed it and there it still is.
I digress, this new brilliant collection of stories from Michael Bird, with sumptuous illustrations by Kate Evans is like a gigantic and thick encyclopaedia of the most celebrated artists in history, and of course their landmark works. Each 'story' begins with a deep exploration of their personality, their life and of course the times they lived in, but also a huge in-depth look at their work and inspirations.
Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jackson Pollock, you name them and they're in here somewhere, dazzling us to bits as we learn more about what made them tick and of course what inspired their most famous works.
This is easily one of the best books we've seen for introducing art and artists to children. It's gorgeously presented in a way that draws children in, it's not a dry and academic piece of work but nor does it talk down its subject matter. Perfectly balanced in fact so a well deserved Book of the Week winner. Fantastic!
Charlotte's favourite artist: Van Gogh of course. She loves his swirling dreamy work and his colours.
Daddy's favourite artist: Tough call but I love Seurat and Lichtenstein, Magritte and Dali.
(Kindly sent to us for review by Laurence King Publishing)
"Vincent's Starry Night and Other Stories - A Children's History of Art"
Written by Michael Bird
Illustrated by Kate Evans
Published by Laurence King Publishing
Publication Date: 8th August 2016