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Reviewer: Norma D. Kellam
Title: Art Sticker Book
ISBN: 524890
Review Date: November 2009
Review:
A painting by Vincent van Gogh of his chair serves as a stand-in for a self-portrait. A plain yellow chair with a straw seat represents his ordinary life as a working person. This is one of many interesting explanations about paintings that children will enjoy reading.

Art Sticker Book by Sarah Courtauld and Kate Davies, for ages 9 to about 12, introduces readers to a number of paintings that are in London’s National Gallery. Readers can view many of the paintings in a larger size on the National Gallery website. Check the page prior to the sticker pages for instructions on accessing the site. This paperback book has 32 pages plus ten pages of stickers, providing more than 100 stickers.

Picture frames appear around likenesses of the paintings, which are light gray or have faded traces of color. Readers need to find the sticker that represents each painting in its original colors on the appropriately labeled sticker page and apply it over the faded image. Other stickers consist of a closer view of an aspect of a painting. Not only does this provide the authors with an opportunity to comment on that part of the painting, but it also gives the readers a better view of the enlarged item. One of these close-ups is of a red dog. The text explains that Paul Gauguin “painted the dog red, so that it would really stand out against the green field.” The locations where these close-up stickers belong have the same faded-out appearance, but without a frame. With the addition of the stickers, the pages become quite attractive.

The arrangement of the paintings is by topic, including “Children” and “Hidden Meanings.” A paragraph introduces each topic, such as the one that begins, “Self portraits allowed artists to try out new skills without worrying about what anyone else thought.” Under each painting, a bordered area, such as a rectangle, provides the title and date of the painting and the name of the artist. The dates range from the 13th to the early 20th century. A paragraph beside each painting provides a bit of interesting information about it. An 18th century work by Jean-Siméon Chardin titled “The Young Schoolmistress” depicts a girl teaching a younger child as they both sit at a table. A statement beside it reads, “Some children had to work to earn a living.”

Holly Surplice’s drawings, along with a few by Abigail Brown and Nathalie Oger, decorate the spare space around the paintings and text. The pastel colors of the drawings allow the stronger colors of the paintings to stand out. Beside a painting of a gondola race in Venice, a drawing of this type of boat shows the gondolier giving two children a ride. On another page, a drawing depicts museum visitors looking at two of that page’s paintings.

Whether it’s explanations about a painting of a chair used in place of a self-portrait or about a depicted child working as a teacher, this information makes artwork more interesting. As children enjoy well-known paintings, they develop a foundation for art appreciation.
 
 
 
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