Monet (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

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Summary: A superb introduction to the life and art of Claude Monet
Review: I find it hard to believe this book was written for young children, because I sure learned a lot. Written and illustrated by Mike Venezia, "Monet" is part of the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series. I am not alone in having Monet as my favorite Impressionist artist, but I could never really explain why until I read this book and several others about his art. The paintings by Monet are included to illustrate specific aspects of his artistic style, so "The House of Parliament at Sunset" is presented as an example of his love of the way colors reflect in water. A detail from "The Cliff Walk Pourville" is enlarged to show how he used colorful brush strokes to great effect. Young readers will learn not only about Monet as an artist but about impressionist art; after all, the term "impressionists" came from Monet's 1872 painting, "Impression: Sunrise." Venezia also talks about the fascinating details of the artistic process; Monet believed in painting outside, which was made easier when artist were able to buy paint in tubes. Not all of the paintings in this book are by Monet; there are paintings OF Monet by Renoir and Manet. There are also cartoons by Venezia detailing important parts of Monet's life as they relate to his artwork. I was also impressed by the inclusion of some of the caricatures Monet sketched of people as a teenager. Venezia provides an excellent introduction to Monet's art, even if you are old enough to have children in the target audience. For the next step in your art education regarding Monet you should check out "What Makes a Monet a Monet?" by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Summary: Monet - worth the Mo-ney!
Review: I read this book and used it for an Art lesson. Venezia took a mature subject and made it easy to introduce to children. It is a great teacher-source for incorporating Art across your curriculum.

Rating:
Summary: Great for introducing Monet
Review: I used this book to introduce a group of preschoolers to Monet and Impressionism and they loved it. It's not difficult for them to understand, and it's not too long to read while keeping their attention.