“all children are artists”, said picasso. “The problem is how to continue being an artist when the child grows up.”
It’s true: kids don’t need a lot of encouragement when it comes to making art. Put a paintbrush in their hand and some (ideally non-toxic) paint in their vicinity, and most kids will go to town covering whatever surface is in front of them.
You are reading: Children’s books about painting
but it is very easy for children to give up their own artistic abilities with age. That’s why showing them models of other artists who have cultivated a lifelong relationship with creativity might inspire them to do the same and to see artistic creation as an exciting and essential aspect of life. So, to inspire the little ones in your life, we’ve rounded up our favorite artist books for kids.
linnea in monet’s garden
age range: 6 years and up
Starting with a personal favorite: I was obsessed with this book as a kid. It is the story of a girl named Linnea who befriends a kind neighbor named Mr. bloom, who teaches him all about the painter claude monet and the “blobby” style of painting called impressionism. The story culminates when the two take a trip to Paris, where they end up visiting not only Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, but also the Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay.
It’s all very charming and features a lot of art-historical nerd. It also had the effect of instilling in me an intense fascination with painting, France, and travel in general, a positive result, in my opinion.
buy it now for $12
grandpa and the library: how charles white learned to paint
age range: 6 years and up
When I was little, I liked stories about the logistics of how people get things done or get good at things. This carefully illustrated book does just that, telling the story of how a young Charles White learned to draw and observe the world through picture books in the Chicago Public Library, and became a singular artistic voice of the 20th century.
Published in conjunction with the Charles White retrospective at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2018, this 40-page volume offers a wonderful introduction to the making of a great painter and includes an appendix with additional biographical information and suggested reading. for adults too.
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buy it now for $13.50
jackson action
age range: 6-10 years
Jackson Pollock may not be the most obvious choice for a children’s book lead, with his drinking problem and untimely end, but this shocking book manages to turn him into a compelling, age-appropriate subject. he does so by narrowing his focus to a singular period in the artist’s life: when he painted his magnum opus, Lavender Mist.
“part of this story is imaginary”, warns the prologue. “We do not know if the sequence of events during the months of May and June 1950 was exactly as we have described it.” but the authors assure us that they based their narrative on first-hand accounts, and the resulting story is vivid and full of little details. I also love the frantic, wiry lines in the accompanying illustrations to capture Pollock’s macho energy.
buy it now for $9
yayoi kusama: from here to infinity
age range: 4-8 years old
yayoi kusama’s pumpkins and polka dots sometimes feel like the stuff of imaginative childhood dreams, an idea the authors have lovingly tapped into here. Ellen Weinstein’s high-contrast illustrations capture the playful side of Kusama’s art, while the story, written by Sarah Suzuki, Curator of Drawings and Prints at MOMA, tells a kid-friendly take on the artist’s life. Though the book largely chooses to sidestep some of the more challenging elements of Kusama’s biography, it manages to bring her art to life in an accessible, engaging, and inspiring way.
buy it for $15
frida kahlo and her little animals
age range: 4-8 years old
Take a zoological journey into the world of Frida Kahlo, where the artist’s pets take center stage. Frida Kahlo and Ella’s Little Animals explores the personal and symbolic relationships of animals in Kahlo’s life and art, drawing both on her biography and the content of her narrative paintings. if her son is obsessed with the creatures of the natural world, this book is likely to be a hit.
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best of all is the book art, for which illustrator john para painted raw wood paneling for an especially warm, textured feel. Please note that there is also a Spanish version!
buy it now for $13
henry scissors
age range: 3 years and up
Written for very young children, Henri Matisse appears as an almost magical figure in this book, discovering a magic wand in the form of a humble pair of scissors that enabled him to transform colored paper into some of his greatest masterpieces. It gets a little woo-woo at the end (Matisse dies and ascends to heaven in a cavalry of his colorful forms), but it’s a sweet introduction to one of the 20th century’s modernist behemoths.
buy it now for $17
pop art baby!
Age Range: 0+
For the youngest art fans in your life, look no further than the enthusiastically titled Pop Art Baby! This sturdy board book is made of cardboard with rounded edges, perfect for the tactile chewing practice of many baby artists, and features universal themes of love and family in multiple languages and through iconic drawings by Keith Haring.
artistic parents will enjoy the pedigree of pop art, babies will enjoy the bright pages. win-win.
buy it now for $13
All of our recommendations are independently chosen by members of the artnet news team. If you make a purchase through the links in this article, artnet news will earn an affiliate commission that helps fund the art world journalism you trust.
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