Category: art

Author & Illustrator: Neil Waldman
Publisher: Dream Yard Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-615-72969-5
Pages: 48
Price: $17.95

Author’s website
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In the evening, once everyone is asleep, Teddy’s big brother, Al, flies off to outer space. In this magical place, he is King Alejandro, ruler of his own kingdom. He has a pony waiting for Teddy, who will be known as Prince Teodoro.  But Teddy is too young to travel with Al, and he must wait until he turns five.

Teddy doesn’t realize it, but Al is really traveling through the drawings he creates. Once Teddy discovers Al’s secret, he asks for artwork depicting his very own travels. Although it would be fun to actually fly off to space, Al and Teddy have discovered the ability to travel through their own imaginations, which can take them anywhere they want to go.

Al and Teddy is beautifully illustrated, with moon monsters, space ships, and castles. Kids will delight in the ability to travel to any place their imaginations can take them, through the magic of a pencil and paper. All profits from this book will be used to support the young artists of the Fred Dolan Art Academy, a free Dream Yard school.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Publisher: Norton Simon Museum
Genre: Art / Children
ISBN: 978-0-97266-819-4
Pages: 108
Price: $15.00

Buy it at the Norton Simon Museum shop

‘A’ is for apple – as in Gustave Courbet’s Apples, Pears and Primroses on a Table, oil on canvas. ‘B’ is for Buddha – as in India: Tamil Nadu, Buddha Shakyamuni, granite statue. Picturing the ABCs at the Norton Simon Museum takes children on a tour through the museum’s collection, using the alphabet as a guide.

Each alphabet page shows kids the letter and reference, with a cutout highlighting an object on the next page, which is part of the picture or statue featured. Beautiful works of art from Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Henri Rousseau, as well as many others, are showcased in this beautiful ABC book.

Masterpieces come alive for children as they spy an umbrella, quill, or kite. These objects lead them to see the picture in a way they can understand and appreciate, as they notice the small details. The Norton Simon Museum has created a beautiful book for kids that will teach them the ABCs while also opening their consciousness to greats works of art. I highly recommend this unique art book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Sean Kenney
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Genre: Children / Art
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9692-7
Pages: 32
Price: $12.99

Author’s website
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LEGO pieces can be used to create wonderful objects, using the right combinations. But knowing how to piece them together can be a challenge for kids. In Cool Creations in 35 Pieces, master LEGO artist, Sean Kenney, has documented procedures for building robots, spacecraft, buildings, furniture and household objects, vehicles, animals, and aliens.

Kenney has only used thirty-five pieces for all of these LEGO models. Kids are encouraged to build his sculptures, but also to re-combine these pieces to create new works of art of their own. And if these models inspire you, check out Kenney’s other books on LEGO creations. This would be a perfect book for the creative LEGO builder in your home.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Anne Blond
Illustrator: Birgitte Haahr Lund
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-87-88376-44-9 (Danish), 978-87-88376-49-4 (English), 978-87-88376-50-0 (Japanese)
Pages: 56
Price: 98 kr.

Museum Sønderjylland website
To purchase this book please email the author or the Art Museum

Hans J. Wegner is world famous for his spectacular chair designs. Born in Tønder, Denmark, he grew up fascinated with the natural world and wood carving. But while adults may be familiar with his work, today’s children have most likely never heard of him.

With his 100th anniversary coming up soon, Wegner has become the center of renewed international attention. Hans, His Chairs and the World provides children with a look at his work, so they can also appreciate the contributions he made to society. In this book, we see Hans growing up in the shadow of the water tower. Later, his chairs are brought inside, as a museum is formed around them. And lastly, children are reminded of the fact that building furniture involves our natural world – trees – and they should be responsible stewards of our earth.

Anne Blond is the curator of the Art Museum in Tønder which houses Wegner’s chairs. The illustrations are created digitally, but inspired from old wood block prints, which creates a look reminiscent of Wegner’s work. Children will enjoy reading about this fascinating man, and maybe even look him up on the Internet. What they find will inspire them in their own creative pursuits.

Reviewer: Alice Berger