An Alphabet in Art (I Spy) by

by Lucy Micklethwait

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with A..." Even the very youngest art lovers can spy out the apple in "Magritte's Son of Man" through the zigzags in de Geest's" Portrait of a Child." Interact with twenty-six of the world's greatest paintings in this educational, entertaining, and beautiful pairing of a classic game with timeless art.

Genres: Art, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Art History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ian Laird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reckon any non-fiction book where you learn a lot is pretty good. And I learned lots here in this fun alphabet which allows kids of all ages to interact with works of art, mostly well known, some not so, and better for that.

Each artwork has an object within it for a letter of the alphabet, sometimes more than one. There are some quibbles about difficulty of identification, although the magpie for ‘M’ is the kind familiar to all Australians (most recently awarded ‘Australia’s most melodious bird’. Which is good because we have the world’s noisiest avian population apparently. One of our kingfishers- the kookaburra- is known colloquially as the ‘laughing jackass’.) But I digress.

I saw for the first time works including an tableau simply labelled ‘Indian’ Workmen Building the Palace of Fatehpur Sikri, boasting a pair of splendid elephants (for letter ‘E’); Jean–Baptiste–Simeon Chardin, The House of Cards (a heart); Jan Steen The World Upside Down (a key); Jan van Huijsum Flowers in a Vase (a nest) and the wondrously titled Portrait of a Boy with a Golf Club (for Zigzag) by Wybrand de Geest. All new to me.

It was very good way to see familiar paintings in a new way. There is no concession to simplicity or naivety, just interesting landscapes, portraits, still lives and abstracts. It is hard to underestimate the impact art can have when viewed as a child. Still with me after all these years are the paintings by Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, John Perceval and Albert Tucker, all seen for the first time as a youngster along with the wartime portraits of Stella Bowen.

I once took my then ten year old nephew to an exhibition of installations at the National Gallery of Australia. As we approached the show area he said, ‘I can smell engines!’ (his father is a mechanic). I said ‘Don’t be silly, this is an art gallery.’ Sure enough one of the exhibits featured narrow passageways bounded by waste high troughs filled with opaque sump oil. The lad looked at me in triumph. He is now an architect.

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and mostly well done; a book that can be enjoyed together by children and adults (teachers, parents, grandparents) as the selection of art is excellent and covers a wide range of (mostly Western) paintings from the past six centuries with subject matter appealing to young children (animals, children and families, whimsical scenes). But I'm convinced the creature identified as a guinea pig for G in Jan Van Kessel's Still Life with Fruit and Flowers is a Eurasian red squirrel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_squ... with its long fluffy tail curled upward, its longish, erect ears, and its classic squirrel posture as it nibbles on fruit held in its paws. It looks nothing like any guinea pig I've ever seen or can find on the web. Children might need help with a few other items, like M for magpie (not a familiar bird in most of the United States).

[Mahdiye Fateh · Rating 3 out of 5]

از مجموعه‌ی "نگاه کن" که کتاب خروس( بخش کودک نشر نظر) آن را چاپ کرده است و مترجم آن فاطمه کاوندی است.
از جهت آشنایی کودک با آثار ارزشمند نقاشی ایران و جهان و شنیدن نام آثار و نویسنده‌ی آنها ارزشمند است. اما طراحی فعالیتی فراتر از پیدا کردن الفبا، اعداد و حیوانات در این آثار لازم است تا کودکان را بیشتر به چالش بکشاند و درگیر کند.

[Portable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book to talk about art and inspire children. Some of the alphabet connections are a little unusual and would require scaffolding (magpies, quills, inkwells) but the artworks are of course majestic, and children love to explore the pictures.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! I wish I had had this or even this idea when my children were young and I was struggling, as a non artist to grow their interest in art galleries .

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

On each spread of this book you're asked to spy something in a classic piece of art that starts with each letter of the alphabet. A guide is provided in the back of the book.

Some of these were much harder than others. I had to cheat and look in the back to find out what word they were looking for a few times. I like the way this book introduces classic art pieces in a fun way as part of a hide-n-seek puzzle. Too often art is introduced in dry and boring ways. But on each page the artist and name of the piece are included at the bottom of the spread. Kids will learn some art history while having fun, now that's a great idea.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine, but actually isn't better than so many other ABC books available. Only one item for each letter. No answer key, and R I'm not sure of (roses?).

On a related note, any book that introduces a variety of art to children or beginners should have the year the work was created right in the title & author line. And any book about art for anyone should report the size of the work, too. This has none of that.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the art book I've been looking for! I thought that is what An Artist's Alphabet would be like, but it wasn't. This one is! It shows works of art and children look at the art to find the things that begins with that letter of the alphabet.

[Lindsay Lodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the concept of this book. However, for the most part, I found the objects in the paintings that were chosen to represent each letter of the alphabet less than obvious, and this did detract from my enjoyment of the book somewhat. I didn't spot G for guinea pig at all, but then another reader has suggested that the guinea pig may not actually be a guinea pig after all...

[Hailey Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: informational
Reading Level: kindergarten

This book is an alphabet book. Each page shows a picture and letters and you have to find something that starts with that letter. This would be a good book for young students learning the alphabet.

[Jess Strang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for early readers, who are still learning/ have just learnt the alphabet. It goes through each of the letters and asks the reader to find something in the painting beginning with whatever letter that page is covering.

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this one. Cool twist on an alphabet book where all the letters are represented by famous works of art. I feel like it has good components of a seek and find, and an art book, and can be used at multiple ages to talk letters, images, and art.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the book for the introduction to art. but what kid is going to get magpie for M?

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. Fun for both kids and adults.

[Jocelyn Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we all just assume small children can easily identify magpies?

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really neat book but I probably should have given it to a kid a long time ago.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

an introduction to classic European art, Magritte to Chagall

[delanie jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

hehe

[Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) No current awards.
2) PreK-2nd grade
3) This alphabet book presents the letters of the alphabet in order, with each letter presented, readers asked to identify an item in the picture beginning with that letter.
4) This I Spy book is a fun and engaging book to share with students, however due to the nature of the book, it would not be appropriate for a large group setting. And this text does require readers to have a background in what certain items are that begin with each letter of the alphabet. The incorporation of many beautiful pieces of art and their use is clever and impressive.
5) In a small group of young children, go through the book identifying each item that begins with the letter presented and write out the wrong on a piece of poster board that corresponds with each letter.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
What caught my eye about this book is the variety of art work on the pages. “I spy with my little eye something beginning with” and then the author gives you the alphabet letter for that specific page and immediately on the opposite page you have a work of art to find something that corresponds with that letter. Some pages the author has you looking for items that “end” with a specific letter of the alphabet instead of “beginning” with a letter but that is the only difference in the pages. What you will love is the pictures in this book, if you enjoy art or want something different in an I-spy book . There are pictures from Picasso, Vermeer, Goya, Matisse, Renoir, and Seurat just to name a few. Twenty-six letters of the alphabet and twenty-six different painting by twenty-six different artists. The last two pages of the book are devoted to what you should have found on the pages (not where to find them on the pages) just what the item is, who the author is, the name of the painting, the date it was created and where the original painting is housed. It’s a fun book with not a lot of words but adds a dimension of well-known art to the popular concept of I-spy.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally cringe when one of our girls picks out an "I Spy" book. I really dislike the series of photos crowded with objects, especially the ones with the creepy clowns. So I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Objects (usually you can find more than one that will fit) that start (or end, in the case of the letter X) with the described letter can be found in each famous work of art. They are fantastic paintings and the "treasure hunt" to find minute objects in paintings helps instill an early love of art. Because you are looking for an item, you really look at the painting, not just gloss over it. I really enjoyed reading this book with our girls and this is one book that I wouldn't mind reading again and again, if only to look at the art.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book. For each letter of the alphabet there is a painting with an object beginning with that letter (or in the case of the hard to place x, that ends with that letter.)

I really liked some of the paintings used, and the fact that they’re identified by title and by artist, and trying to find the objects is a good exercise (sometimes too tough here, in my opinion) while it exposes the reader to some fine art. Some of the objects are easy to find and some are challenging to find. Some are very difficult because I think most kids will be thinking of another word for the featured object: boat vs. yacht is just one example. There are answers at the end so, if stumped, they can be found. And, in one case I chose a different object than the one intended, but it worked, and that’s fine.

[Kelsey]

I bought my own copy of this book several years ago in the Chicago Field Museum back when I was in college student teaching. Even though I wasn't a teacher yet, I knew this book would be an interesting addition to my classroom library. I was right. My students love looking at the paintings and finding the object that begins with the given letter of the alphabet. One of the reasons I like this book so much is that it feature paintings from a wide range of mediums and a wide range of artists, some of whom I remembered learning about as a child. I think this book is a neat twist on a basic alphabet book because it also gives readers a chance to view and critique twenty-six different paintings.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a little more editing, this book would have been perfect. There were just a few elements where I wondered what the author was thinking! My daughter loved this book! She's 3-years-old and learning her letters. She also LOVES art.

But the I Spy part would have been better if we weren't looking for obscure things like magpies or yachts(??? - no child can identify that). Plus, some of the items to spot were IMPOSSIBLE to see. The pictures are just as dark, if not darker, than the originals. I never could find the turtles boarding Noah's Ark. The pictures should have been lightened or different pictures should have been used.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love art books for children that introduce them to some of the greatest works of art. This alphabet book has excellent art and an added twist: a child with a solid knowledge of the alphabet can hunt through the picture to find something that begins with the letter for each page. It's not always the most obvious thing in the picture--it even took me a while to spy it on some of the pages, which made it a fun read for both my daughter and me.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow-up to "I spy colors in art" for the slightly older set. The text simply reads "I spy with my little eye something beginning with Ff," and the child has to find something in the painting on the opposite page. I actually like the open-endedness of this book better than "colors in art" because there is no single right answer.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book uses famous class artworks to help teach children the alphabet. This is a great way to integrate the fine arts into the classroom by exposing them to some of the most famous artworks of our time. Plus, the story is interactive as the students have to find each letter in the pictures. For A, as an example, the students would find the apple which starts with the letter A.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this alphabet book that uses well-known works of art to illustrate the letters of the alphabet, but in a subtle way--you have to search for the appropriate item within the painting. Great for kids on several different levels.

[Paul Hankins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The letters of the alphabet are found in famous works of art. The answers are in the back, but the pieces are carefully selected to make the letter represented stand out (some are a little more difficult than others asking the reader to look a little closer).

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book where you look for elements in a famous work of art that corresponds with a letter of the alphabet. For instance, A is for Apple in the picture on the front of the book.

Well chosen art.