The Story of Art Picture Book is a great way to foster children’s interest in art. With masses of colour reproductions of paintings and artworks, it’s full of information on the way painting has developed over the centuries, from the cave paintings of Lascaux to the modern art of Louise Bourgeois and Anish Kapoor. The text is short and easy to read, and highlights details in the various artworks that will have particular appeal to children, occasional cartoon illustrations adding extra snippets of information – Rembrandt pulling faces at himself in a mirror for example, to help him draw different facial expressions. You can take special virtual tours of art galleries too via links on the Usborne website. ~Andrea Reece
From the first cave paintings to modern masterpieces, each double page includes fascinating facts and stories about the pictures and artists, plus internet links to websites to find out more. Published in association with The National Gallery, London.
Sarah Courtauld is a fresh and funny new voice in children’s fiction. She won the Funny Women Comedy Writing Award in 2012 and the BAFTA/ Rocliffe New Writing Forum 2012, judged by a panel including Jennifer Saunders and Chris Addison.
Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat-Dragon is her first novel, and the start of a fantastic news series for younger readers.
