My Favorite Art Books for Kids

Please note this post contains Amazon affiliate links.  This basically means that if you purchase from Amazon after clicking on one of these links, a small portion of the sale goes to me...all at no cost to you.  Fine Art Adventures was given to me to review as well.  All opinions shared in this article are my own though.

Hi friends!

Remember when I did a summer art series with my kids?   I spent so much time this summer digging through art books at our public library...and the local bookstore...that it seemed like a waste to not share that info with you.

There are some really good ones guys!  Any of these would make great additions to an art library, and I'm really hoping that they will get your kids just as excited about art as they did for my kids!  Some are picture books about famous artists.  Others are activity books, and others are just really great resources!

Let me tell you a little bit about these awesome books!




1.  Sandy's Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone:  Few artists captured my kids imagination as much as Calder and his circus.  This charming picture book explores Sandy's whimsical circus inventions.

2.  Just Behave, Pablo Picasso!:  This book is Ellie's favorite.   Picasso wasn't willing to just make art that conformed with the standards of the time, hence the title. Ellie loves everything about Picasso--from his rebellious spirit to his colorful and strange-looking art.

3.  The Noisy Paint Box:  The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art:  This Caldecott Honor book is a lovely tribute to Vasya Kandinsky and it's BEAUTIFUL.  Truly.


4.  Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Bjork:  This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid, and it still is.  I love the charming illustrations mixed with real photographs.

5. The Dot by Peter Reynolds:  I love Peter Reynolds' books.  From the dot to Ish...they are simple and sweet.  Great for any kid who maybe feels a little reluctant to get started with their own art.

6.   Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew: It's not the traditional art story book--it does involve kids jumping into famous paintings after all...but its a fun twist.

7.   You Can't Take a Balloon into the Museum of Fine Arts by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman: I love all of the "You Can't Take a Balloon" series.  The illustrations by Robin Glasser are just so captivating--Ellie spent so much time studying them!

8.   Children's Introduction to Art: The World's Greatest Paintings and Sculptures by Heather Alexander: This one's more of an art resource book, but Lu ate it up.  Lots of info for an art enthusiast.

9.   Meet the Artist books:   This series of books is amazing.  We're talking 3D pop-ups and interactive pages.  Really, really cool guys.

10:  Degas and the Little Dancer by Lawrence Anholt:  Maybe it's because my kids love dance, but this book really captured their imaginations.  It inspired them to make their own ballerina sculptures.

11.  Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet: Herve Tullet makes such fun interactive books.  This book presents color theory in a way that's so fun, especially for the younger crew.  Be ready to mix up the colors on the pages--who knew that just a regular book could be so interactive?

12.  Uncle Andy's:  A Faabbulous Visit with Andy Warhol by James Warhola: A lovely look into "Uncle Andy" and his exciting life.  I'm pretty sure my kids were left wishing that they had an uncle Andy too!

13.  Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty:  Andrea Beaty's books speak to my heart.  Ok, ok, maybe this book isn't about an artist exactly.  The creativity of Iggy Peck though makes me feel like this book belongs on this list though, even if it has more of a science feel.  After all science and art do go together!

14.  Fine Art Adventures: 36 Creative, Hands-On-Projects Inspired by Classic Masterpieces by Maja Pitamic:  I received this book to review, but all opinions are my own.  There are lots of fun projects here inspired by lots of artists.  I think my favorite thing about this book is that the projects don't require lot of expensive supplies.  This makes this book perfect for teachers --or a last minute project at home!

15.   Ed Emberley's fingerprint books: I think fingerprint sketches are so fun!  And I love that my kids can do these projects all by themselves.

16.  Scratch and Sketch book:   There are a whole series of these books--including an art version!  My kids can't get enough of them....I guess there is just something magical about scratching and seeing a color of rainbows underneath.

17.  The Girls' Doodle Book by Andrew Pinter: I bring this book to any waiting room I need to bring my kids too.  The prompted drawings hold my kids attention for so long.  There's a boy version too!

18.  My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook by Lisa Regan: The scientist in me loves this prompted activity book.  My kids love it too!

19.   Once Upon a Doodle by Hannah Cohen:  This book stays in our activity bag alongside the Girls' Doodle book and the Crazy Inventions Sketchbook above. 

 20.  Doodle and Design Fashion by Jennie Sun: This activity book is really simple--just outlines of girls in different outfits.  Lu loves adding her own patterns to the outfits though, and it's provided hours of entertainment.

Have a great week everyone!

XOXO,

Jill