Synopsis: This book provides children, and adults, a whole new perspective on art. It encourages one to look up and down, turn pictures upside down and reflect on the different viewpoints.

Review: From the front cover featuring ‘Hunters in the Snow’ with a shiny cameo circle to the back with ‘Rachel and Jacob at the Well’ in a similar mode this book is a delight. Each double page spread introduces a classic painting and invites the reader to look at a part of it in a different way. Look up or down, behind or even all around to see the various different elements which could otherwise be missed. It helps children to focus on certain parts of a painting or techniques used for effect in a simple and accessible manner.

Questions on each page also encourage children to think more deeply about certain aspects of the paintings. Many of these are open questions to encourage further discussion, not only on art but with links to history, music and personal expression. Children are also encouraged to try different art techniques to improve their observation and manipulative skills.

 An index of paintings and artists at the end of the book enables one to search for a favourite. Just before the index the final six pages of the book, entitled ‘Look It Up’, give further details about the artists, the titles of paintings featured and where they are exhibited. This stretches from the UK to Europe and even America and could be a springboard for geography work. A trip to a local art gallery could encourage children to look for artists who were contemporaries of those featured in the book or to make their own ‘Look’ book for others in their school.

‘Look! Zoom in on Art!’ provides numerous cross-curricular opportunities for the creative teacher. Children should love dipping into the pages and becoming art detectives by examining more fully the wonderful world of art. Teachers will find inspiration on every page.

2008-05-26