A lot of parents know the value of teaching art appreciation to their kids, but have no idea where to start. Gladys Blizzard conceived the Come Look With Me series specifically to meet this need. Children are exposed to full-color reproductions of great paintings by artists from Van Gogh to Escher to Renoir to Georgia O'Keefe (sometimes photographs of architecture or furniture are used) accompanied by brief text describing the artist's life, style and work.

After studying the picture for several minutes and either reading or listening to the text about the artist, children answer a number of questions about the artwork printed on the facing page. Questions are both objective (What clues does the artist give to tell you that this is a summer scene?) and subjective (Would you like to join these girls? Why?), but all of them are designed to get kids thinking about art on more than a surface level.

Both famous and less-well-known works are included to give children a broad exposure. The series is not an art history curriculum by any stretch, but it is a great place to introduce the concepts of analysis and appreciation to young students. Each book is fun and colorful, calculated to interest and engage kids in a subject too often loathed and avoided. An excellent starting place, Come Look With Me leads easily to further study and lifelong love of art.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.