How Artists See: Families

In “How Artists See Families“, children can see how Carmen Lomas Garza captured the simple pleasure of a family eating watermelon on the front porch; how Kikugawa Eizan used curved lines to show the gracefulness with which a mother carries her young son; how John Singer Sargent depicted the flowerlike delicacy of two sisters as they light lanterns in a twilit summer garden; and how Winslow Homer showed a boy’s protectiveness of his younger brother in a dangerous situation. “How Artists See” is a series of interactive, inquiry-based books designed to teach children about the world by looking at art and about art by looking at the world. Each volume presents 16 diverse works of art, all devoted to a subject that every child already knows from personal experience. Author Colleen Carroll’s engaging, conversational text is filled with thought-provoking questions and imaginative activities that spark children’s natural curiosity both about the subject of the artwork they are looking at and about the way it was created. This direct, interactive approach to art – and to the world – promotes self-exploration, self-discovery, and self-expression. The books introduce basic artistic concepts, styles, and techniques, and are loads of fun. For children who want to know more about the artists whose works appear in each book, biographies are provided at the end, along with suggestions for further reading and an international list of museums where each artist’s works can be seen. As children begin to understand the multitude of ways that artists see, they should deepen their appreciation of art and artists, of the world around them, and of their own unique vision.