Tuesday, August 9, 2005

I Spy Shapes in Art


Micklethwait, Lucy. 2004. I SPY SHAPES IN ART. New York: Greenwillow. ISBN 0060731931 [Suggested Grade Levels PreK-2]

REVIEW
Fourteen shapes are explored through artworks in this book for very young children. Most are modern, some are abstract, but all are interesting and appropriate choices. Some of the shapes are complex for the intended age group—oval, diamond, cylinder, cube—but the art is well chosen to provide challenge without undue frustration. The artwork, by fourteen different great artists ranging from Winslow Homer to David Hockney, is interesting in itself, and all are less well-known works. The I Spy game format lends itself to deeper discussions of the elements of art, well beyond the “I like it/I don’t” response.

Full art credits and copyright permissions are included. The August 1, 2004 BOOKLIST review concludes, “A handsome offering with appeal to a wide age group.”

CONNNECTIONS
Use the artworks as prompts for a circle (or round robin) story.

Ask the children to choose one artwork and tell/write a story about it.

Use the shapes in the book to create collages.

RELATED BOOKS
Other books like this by Lucy Micklethwait:
I SPY. ISBN 0688116795
I SPY TWO EYES: NUMBERS IN ART. ISBN 0688161588
A CHILD’S BOOK OF ART: GREAT PICTURES FIRST WORDS. ISBN 1564582035

Another art book for this age group:
Metropolitan Museum of Art. MUSEUM ABC. ISBN 0316071706

By Julie Brinker

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