ABCs of Art

by Sabrina Hahn

Overview

“A surprisingly fresh take on the classic children's ABCs book.” A “Best Book of 2019.” —Vanity Fair

A fun way to inspire children’s imagination and creativity!” —Serena Williams

“Art connects us all on the deepest level and this book will inspire young minds.” —Ken Griffin, founder & CEO of Citadel, trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, and trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art 

Learn the alphabet through fine art!

Spark your child’s creativity and curiosity with this delightfully curated alphabet book featuring some of the world’s most iconic paintings.

In this collection, your child will discover artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, and many others. Help them locate the earring in Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring, teach them different colors while examining Monet's Water Lilies, and count the pieces of fruit in Cezanne's The Basket of Apples.

With a fun rhyming scheme and large, colorful text, ABCs of Art will inspire your budding art lovers as they learn the alphabet and new words by finding objects in paintings. Then, as your child grows, you can read the playful poems aloud together and answer the interactive questions that accompany each painting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510749382
Publisher:	Sky Pony
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Series:	Sabrina Hahn's Art & Concepts for Kids
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	101,919
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

SABRINA HAHN is an art collector, art dealer, and curator. She graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in History of Art & Architecture and minor in Economics, and is a graduate of the Horace Mann School. Sabrina is an active supporter of artists, museums, and public art installations as an art patron, serving on the Guggenheim Young Collectors Council Acquisitions Committee and MoMA Junior Associates. As an art influencer, Sabrina was named one of Town & Country's T&C 50: New Modern Swans. Sabrina lives in New York City and enjoys sharing curated content on Instagram @HahnFineArt.

Editorial Reviews

ABCs of Art is a surprisingly fresh take on the classic children's ABCs book . . . helping to mold your child into the budding art sophisticate of your dreams." —Vanity Fair, Best Books of 2019

"Supermom Serena Williams reaches for this children's book, which boasts a playful introduction to iconic artworks, with multiple layers of meaning for little ones." —US Weekly

"For younger children, the excellent ABCs of Art by Sabrina Hahn uses some of the world’s most iconic paintings to learn the alphabet." —Telegraph

“A fun way to inspire children’s imagination and creativity!”  —Serena Williams

“A thoughtful and playful introduction to iconic artworks, with multiple layers of meaning for children and parents alike. ABCs of Art is a book to return to time and again." —Richard Armstrong, Director of the Guggenheim Museum 

"ABCs of Art introduces young minds to masterworks with playful rhymes. Be art smart. It is never too early to build art vocabulary and understanding." —Paula Crown, Artist and Trustee of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

“Art connects us all on the deepest level and this book will inspire young minds.” —Ken Griffin, Founder & CEO of Citadel, trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, and trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art 

“It opens a magic door into the kingdom of art for young readers.” —Dr. Joseph Connors, Professor of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University

"Art history and the alphabet coincide in this lovely homage to the creative spirit. A book that will bring joy and love of art to children everywhere." —Benjamin de Menil, Trustee of the Menil Collection

"The ABCs of Art entices young readers to let their imaginations soar and connect with art in new ways. A fantastic way to encourage young artists to thrive!” —Michelle Park, Emmy award–winning food and lifestyle host, and the host of the podcast MOMS GOT THIS

"Perfect for both growing grandkids and budding young art lovers, this curated alphabet book offers an introduction to works of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, and Mary Cassatt while teaching basic skills—including lessons on colors by looking at Monet's "Water Lilies" and counting via Cezanne's "The Basket of Apples." —Closer Weekly

From the Publisher

01/24/2020

PreS-Gr 1—In this early introduction to art, a letter of the alphabet begins a word that appears as or suggests a detail in a master painting. Each page features a letter-word pair, along with a painting that highlights the word and a rhyming couplet whose second line includes the name of the painter. Each painting is labeled with its title, artist, and year of creation. A question on each page either invites readers to examine the painting closely or to think critically. The paintings include works from artists including Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, and the major French impressionists and post-impressionists; most were produced between the 18th and the 20th centuries. Only one (a copy of an ancient Egyptian wall painting done by a female British archaeologist) represents non-Western, nonwhite culture; besides the former, only one woman's (Mary Cassatt) art appears. The rhymes are mostly clunky and don't scan or read well. Questions posed to readers sometimes miss the mark, as they don't always get at the most interesting or important details in the paintings. Moreover, contrary to accepted early-learning strategies, the targeted word on each page is presented in all caps. Strangely, in the back matter, where readers are informed of the paintings' locations around the world, the targeted words are correctly shown printed in the capital and lower-case letters. VERDICT Attractive but unessential. Recommended for larger public collections.—Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY

School Library Journal

2019-07-14
From "Apple" to "Zebra," an alphabet of images drawn from museum paintings.

In an exhibition that recalls similar, if less parochial, ABCs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (My First ABC, 2009) and several other institutions, Hahn presents a Eurocentric selection of paintings or details to illustrate for each letter a common item or animal—all printed with reasonable clarity and captioned with identifying names, titles, and dates. She then proceeds to saddle each with an inane question ("What sounds do you think this cat is making?" "Where can you find ice?") and a clumsily written couplet that unnecessarily repeats the artist's name: "Flowers are plants that blossom and bloom. / Frédéric Bazille painted them filling up this room!" She also sometimes contradicts the visuals, claiming that the horses in a Franz Marc painting entitled "Two Horses, 1912" are ponies, apparently to populate the P page. Moreover, her "X" is an actual X-ray of a Jean-Honoré Fragonard, showing that the artist repainted his subject's face…interesting but not quite in keeping with the familiar subjects chosen for the other letters.

Caregivers eager to expose their children to fine art have better choices than this. (Informational picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews

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