Kids' Art Pack - Hardcover

For the right child, this extraordinarily complex art pack is a gold mine. The first double-page spread contains 13 flaps, each of which is a reproduction of a famous work of art. Under the flap is information not only on the work, but on one of the 13 different artistic techniques represented, from fresco to oil painting to lithograph. The next page, "Picturing Reality," includes a 3-D experiment (complete with 3-D glasses in a pocket); illustrations of perspective from Durer, Hogarth, and Uccello; and a complete pop-up recreation of the room in which Vermeer painted "The Allegory of the Art of Painting." Elsewhere, with equal ingenuity, the authors cover style, movement, color, composition, and perspective. And thus to the caveat about the "right child." The book so intricate, with all its pop-ups and gizmos, that it is physically fragile. Kids 8 to 18 who are patient, inquisitive, and already interested in art make the best candidates for this elaborate, fascinating package. At the end, tucked into the back cover, there is a separate 18-page activity pack, containing games, puzzles, and crafts. Budding artists and art aficionados will revel in this wealth of information! (Ages 8 and up) --Richard Farr