Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Oooh! Matisse
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 3 to 5
Tricycle Press, 2007 ISBN: 978-1582462271
We are going to explore some wonderful works of art, some very different works of art. You are going to have to guess what it is we are looking at. Here is the first piece. What do you see? The yellow background could be the sun or the sand. The blue finger like things could be your fingers or maybe a feather or a leaf. Let's stand back a little. Why, the blue thing is a leaf after all!
Here is another puzzle for you. This one is white and green. What do you think it is? The white could be "a splash of milk" and the green could be "the rug that soaks it up." As we move further out the white and green take shape and we see more and more of it until... "oooh!" we can see that it is a white star on a green background.
In all little children can explore five of Henri Matisse's colorful paper collage artworks in this book, trying to figure out what they are and using their imaginations and their eyes to look at the cut paper creations in different ways. At the back of the book the authors present the collages in their entirety so that children can see what Matisse made.
This excellent little book gives little children an excellent opportunity to appreciate art in an exciting and creative way.
