Books and art are two of my favorite things. I have limited artistic talent, but great respect for artists and a great love of creating with kids. I create this in large part to the Art magnet school I went to as a child.
One of my goals as a parent is to pass down this love to my children (along with hopefully a little more confident and practiced artistic skill). This list of books is full of picture books about art that will hopefully encourage art museum trips and inspire creativity.
There are thousands of picture books about art, but are here are some fantastic ones about art for toddlers, preschoolers, and up.
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10 Best Picture Books about Art
1. The Wing on a Flea: A Book about Shapes by Ed Emberley (and his series of early drawing books)
Ed Emberley has a great selection of books about art and drawing that are inspiring and accessible to young children. This is my favorite. 2+
2. Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew
Impressionism is one of my favorite periods. As a child I used to get lost in impressionist paintings, imagining scenes found in this book. The main character goes to the museum with her grandmother and together get lost in the soft, painted world of Impressionism. 2+
3. Art and Max by David Wiesner
Two lizards have a unique and colorful adventure with paint. 2+
4. Seen Art? by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
I think I have loved every collaboration from these two. This is an amusing tale of a someone searching for art – all over the art museum. 3+
5. M is for Masterpiece by David Domeniconi
In terms of non-fiction, I enjoy the alphabet series. Some are better written than others, but I like that they are accessible on multiple levels. For the youngest children, there are illustrations and simple ABC text they can follow. As children get older, they can appreciate more and more details, use the book for research, or as a starting point for a new project. For all ages, this book offers a great collection of diverse vocabulary words (Brush, masterpiece, sculpture, untitled), as well as an introduction to some famous artists. 2+
6. Pantone: Colors by Pantone
A perfect introduction to colors for a little one. I love the shades and their different names. If you are looking for one for your youngest artist – here is a good place to start. They also have a collection of chubby books that my daughter loves. 1+
7. Museum 1 2 3, Museum Shapes and Museum A B C by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
These are collections of real art that encourage young readers to look closer to count or find common items. These could also be used as a starting block for a scavenger hunt in your own art museum. 2+
Order 123 / Order Shapes / Order ABC
8. Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman
Lines are everywhere all around us. At their root, art and everyday items are created with lines – wiggly ones, straight ones, bent ones, etc. This book is a celebration of lines. Simple text and textured illustrations are perfect for little ones. 2+
9. Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman
I’m a total sucker for a wordless story – but here is another one and it is so much fun. A young boy on a field trip loses his class when he pauses to tie his shoe. He notices a piece of art and heads off on an adventure. 3+
10. The Iridescence of Birds : A book about Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan
Beautiful story about a young Henri Matisse and the many ways he was inspired to become the artist he is today. Accessible for young children and brilliantly illustrated to capture the little things and people that make a great artist. 3+
This post originally appeared on my other site Bambini Travel. It was transferred here as part of my effort to put all book related posts in one helpful spot!
