13 Painters Children Should Know

Gr 4-8–Bosch, Titian, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Goya, Friedrich, Cézanne, Klimt, Macke, O’Keeffe, Dalí, Richter, and Basquiat are the 13 artists discussed in this title. A wide range of styles and eras are covered, from the 15th century through the 20th century, Renaissance to modern art. There is some basic information about each artist, such as birth date, date of death, hometown, family information, and style of art. Time lines illustrate what was happening in the world at the time they were working; this is helpful in giving historical context to readers. Each artist is covered on a spread or two, with full-color captioned reproductions of his or her best-known paintings, all of which is supported by trivia questions, biographical and stylistic information, and a glossary. The text has grammatical errors (the semicolon usage is puzzling), conjectures (“Paul [Cézanne] would surely have been pleased!”), and editorializes (“[Salvador Dalí] thought up the craziest ideas for his art”). The selection of artists seems arbitrary, and it is debatable whether the people profiled here are the best choices to represent their particular time period or style. Additionally, the inclusion of a bibliography and/or source notes would have been useful. A limited purchase for most libraries.–Laura Lutz, Pratt Institute, New York City