Places - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3-These books offer 22 full-color reproductions (one per page, plus one on each jacket) with minimal texts that ask inane questions, such as "What is going on in this picture?" or "Can you find flowers, clouds, rocks, and water?" A wide range of artistic styles is represented-in People, from a Degas painting to a Rivera fresco to a Helen Levitt photograph; in Places, from a Lichtenstein pop-art painting to a turn-of-the-century photograph to a Hopper etching. Unfortunately, the books' small size often makes thoughtful inspection of the pictures impossible. The reproductions are all about the same size, ignoring the differences in scale among the originals and in many cases preventing readers from seeing textures and details. Included at the end of each title is factual information and a couple of sentences about each work to help adults extend discussions, e.g., "Lichtenstein plays visual games with us. Count...the repetitions of the painting over the bed to consider what is 'real' and what is 'reflected.'" Although there is value in having youngsters become familiar with all sorts of pictures, they deserve more profound questions and answers about the aesthetic devices artists use to achieve their goals.
Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
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