I Spy: An Alphabet in Art

by Lucy Micklethwait

Book Overview

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with A..." Even the very youngest art lovers can spy out the apple in Magritte's Son of Man through the zigzags in de Geest's Portrait of a Child. Interact with twenty-six of the world's greatest paintings in this educational, entertaining, and beautiful pairing of a classic game with timeless art.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688116795
• ISBN13: 9780688116798
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.9" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Total dud with my kid.

I appreciated the book, but my 4 year old thought it was boring, because there's no story. We flipped through it once or twice and that was that.

great art for the preliterary set

This is a lovely book with which to introduce the alphabet and classical art to your child(ren). Each two-page spread contains, on the lefthand page, the jingle "I spy with my little eye something beginning with ... " and the upper and lower case of a letter of the alphabet, while the righthand page contains a large reproduction of a work of art by one of the masters -- Rousseau, Hogarth, Picasso, Botticelli, Vermeer, Sargent, Renoir, Seurat, etc. Kids can think about the alphabet while being exposed to some great art. Terrific idea!

Fantastic

This is a fantastic book. There is a different picture for every letter of the alphabet. Each picture is different in style, type, artist etc. There might be Japanese woodcuts, Picasso, watercolors and so on. This is an excellent introduction to art and types of art and styles and artists. Also, in each picture is something that goes with the letter of the alphabet. Ball for b and so on. A great way to practice beginning sounds and letter recognition. This is a lovely book with great pictures and there are many educational type things you can do while enjoying time with your child. Well worth the money. Enjoy.

A Fantastic Book to Introduce Your Child to Art!

I can't tell you how wonderful this book is for me and my two-and-a-half year old daughter. It is such a delight to curl up in bed and turn the pages as she gleefully points out the item that starts with the letter A, B, C...and so on. We've only read it a handful of times, but she's already gotten each picture and letter memorized. It makes me so happy to be able to introduce her to fine art at such a young age and for her to find so much enjoyment from it. This is truly a gem of book for every parent & child's bookshelf!

I Spy an excellent book

My three year old instantly loved this book. Only a few letters and pictures were difficult for him to connect M= Magpie and J=Jug but C=cat and D=dog were easy. He enjoys reading it with me or he'll pour over it alone reading it to himself. I highly recommend this book.

An ideal introduction to fine art for preschoolers!

As a parent, I'm always interested in expanding my children's personal horizons. Introducing our children to the world of fine art is a high priority in our family---but taking preschoolers to the art museum or a local gallery is oftentimes a disaster in the making! Enter this lovely little book, "I Spy ~ An Alphabet in Art." Remember the ageless game of I Spy? "I spy with my little eye something that begins with A." This book works its way through the entire alphabet letter by letter with a good-sized famous painting on each page. Classic works by Rousseau, Van Eyck, Picasso, Botticelli, Matisse, Miro', Renoir, Chagall, Seurat, and many others. Many of the art books currently produced for children contain several small reproductions on each page. By limiting the art work to one large reproduction to each two-page spread, the child can focus on the painting without being distracted by other clutter on the page. My two-year-old sat for an hour this afternoon entranced with the art. She would turn a page, prop herself up on her elbows, and gaze at the picture for a long time. Now and then, she'd come running over to me with the book in hand. "Mommy! Look at the birds in the cage! The birds live in a cage...." Art Appreciation in its simplest, most basic form. Seeing the painting for the first time---and then looking at it more intently to see beyond the initial first impressions. For this busy mother with limited time and resources, it's a pleasure to find a book of this type. Brava, Lucy Micklethwait!