Review cross-posted on our sister site, Caterpickles.

Rembrandt: Art for Children by Ernest Lloyd Raboff

Harmensz. Van Rijn Rembrandt: Art for Children
By Ernest Lloyd Raboff
Doubleday & Co, Inc., 1987
Age Range: 4-8

The Art for Children Series, now sadly out of print, includes 16 books on major artists across the spectrum, including Rembrandt, Remington, Van Gogh, da Vinci, Gauguin, Chagall, and Picasso. (Complete list here.)

Why we enjoy the Art for Children series

What makes this series exceptional are the large, full-color reproductions of the artist’s major works, along with a simple explanation from the author of the way in which the artist uses color, light, and detail (or lack thereof) to draw your eye to specific elements in the painting or, in Rembrandt’s case at least, to give you insight into the sitter’s personality.

Each book begins with a very simple biography of the artist to give some context to the work, but its focus is on teaching children how to look at and, hopefully, appreciate art. In that sense, it has as much to offer parents as it does children. I don’t know about you, but once I’ve said “I like how Picasso used blue there,” I often feel like I’ve pretty much exhausted my ability to comment on art. Which is why I plan to track down the rest of the books in the series.

Related Links:

• What’s That, Mom?: How to use public art to engage your children with the world around them… without being an artist yourself by Shala Howell
• Book Review: The Complete Brambly Hedge (BostonWriters)