Grandma in Blue with Red Hat

by Scott Menchin, Harry Bliss (Illustrations)

When a young boy learns about what makes art special—sometimes it’s beautiful, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it tells a story—he realizes that these same characteristics are what make his grandmother special, too. As a result, he finds the inspiration to create his own masterpiece that’s one of a kind.

Christopher Award–winning author Scott Menchin and New York Times bestselling illustrator Harry Bliss have teamed up for a celebration of the power of art and expression, and the extraordinary love between grandparent and child.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Family, Childrens, Juvenile, African American, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Scott Menchin is the author-illustrator of TAKING A BATH WITH THE DOG and OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, which received the Christopher Medal. He also illustrated SONG OF MIDDLE C by Alison McGhee and MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS, an award winning children’s book based on a hit song by Bob Dylan. Scott Menchin lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a child I would spend several days drawing and painting and coloring countless pictures. Then I would carefully close every doorway off of the long hallway in our house and tape the pictures up on every door and wall (usually getting in trouble for using tape on the paint and woodwork). This would be my art gallery, and I would invite the family to wander through.

So I get a lot of warm fuzzies reading about a kid who created a gallery complete with opening in his home (with numerous outside guests!)

I love the way the reader is invited to look at art, and to question what defines art. I love all the famous works of art scattered throughout (though a note in the back including the artist for each would be awesome as a couple I couldn't come up with myself). I love how the boy applies his knowledge to celebrate someone special in his life.

Overall this is a wonderful book. I would use it to invite my children to create their own gallery in much the same way. And to experiment with different styles. And to talk about how art makes them feel. There's just so many ways to enjoy this book! Very highly recommended, especially for your children who love to create.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why do you think this in the museum?" asks Ms. Montebello as she shepherds her 'little Picassos' through the Metropolitan. The art students all have different answers as they look at art that includes a Monet, a Pollock, a Van Gogh, but also a Benin bronze and a Chinese landscape.

Books about art for kids FREQUENTLY only acknowledge the Western tradition, so including these two pieces makes this book significantly more inclusive than most. Also the kid in the book reads about Georgia O'Keeffe, so there you go, one female artist. Actually, THE female artist - if you read as many books about art for kids as I do you will see that the girls are represented by Georgia, Frida, or mmmaybe Mary Cassatt.

Aside from this one high-horse issue of mine, this is a terrific book. It addresses concept as well as process, acknowledging the role of contemplation and inspiration in creating art.

AND - Grandma has a few books scattered by her chair, and one of them is "AARP Comics" with the word "CRUMB" prominent on the cover. Now THAT's funny, folks.

[Karen Dransfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When a young boy learns about what makes art special—sometimes it’s beautiful, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it tells a story—he realizes that these same characteristics are what make his grandmother special, too." This is a clover book that shines a light on what is art and how do you pick what is art. For each person different things mean different things. And in this book it highlight's all the differences. A lovely book to explain to kids what art is... and how each person likes different things.
I did like how at the end the young boy creates a wide range of artwork inspired by his grandmother. It could be a good book to introduce art shows and perhaps getting kids to make art to show to others in a show.

[RachelAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book manages to be a humorous love-letter to both Grandma & Art without being cloying or too hokey. The exploration of what makes art is both amusing and thought-provoking. The illustrations are delightfully warm & playful. Use this with art classes, for grandparents' day, or just for fun.

[Riley Cockerham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young boy who every Saturday goes to a class at the art museum where his teacher asks them the question, "Why do you think this is in the museum?" The students all come up with different answer, like how a certain piece is different, it makes them feel good, etc... This gets the young boy to thinking about how all those qualities describe his grandma. He then creates his own art centered around his grandma and calls it "Grandma in Blue with Red Hat".
I really loved this story. The pictures are really unique and hold more of a comic book feel. This book made me feel inspired and helped me to see art in a different light.
This book would be especially great for art teachers because it is centered around art, but it would also be good for SPED teachers and regular teachers. This book celebrates what makes things unique and you can relate each piece of art to each of your students.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy visits an art museum with his class, and learns all the different things that make something a piece of art. He decides that all these attributes also could describe his grandma – and has a great idea – he could donate GRANDMA to the museum!

Luckily, the museum won’t take grandmas. . . so he is inspired to make interesting, beautiful, funny, and one-of-a-kind works of his own. . . who do you think will be featured in his art opening?

A fun and funny book that illustrates many famous works of art, the process of going to a museum, and the process of creation. What I love is how it shows how everyone can be impacted by art!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy takes art classes and learns that art is included in museums for a variety of reasons (beautiful, different, tells a story, came from somewhere far away, makes me feel good, funny, unique). He decides to give his grandma to the museum. When his idea is rejected, he creates and shows his own art collection. A great story about appreciating art and the people you love.

[Kylie2018 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a helpful book in exploring the reasons for and ideas about 'Why Art', with young people.
I love that the book uses varied concepts to explore reasons for art (why) and that it uses recognisable styles/artworks to give visual representation of how artworks can provoke feelings/thoughts that support the theoretical reasons for arts purpose / what constitutes art.
("Can anything be in an art exhibition?").

Story:
The main character regularly attends a children's art class at his local museum. After class discussions about why certain artworks (which include varied styles/movements) are hanging in the museum and what feelings they provoke, the main character is inspired to create a series of artworks in those same varied styles, about his grandmother. He then has the idea to put on an exhibition (at his home) of his works. Friends and museum staff attend and the main character experiences feedback similar to those expressed by his 'classmates' about the famous works from the museum. The story (..and the main characters exhibition) ends with the idea that his artworks are 'one of a kind' … just like grandma.

I love that the main character applies all the reasons for 'why art' to something important to him (his grandma) and uses that thing/person to inspire his own artworks.

I also love that what the boy creates (an exhibition) is something that children could actually achieve with only minimal adult input and that there is no far out ending or exagerated praise; people he knows visit his exhibition, they express their feelings about his work and his works are considered 'one of a kind' and not 'original' or 'spectacular', there is no promise of an art deal or talk of a mini genius. Instead it's all about art appreciation and how art can make people feel.

[Jaycie Birdwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy goes to art class at the museum where his teacher, Ms. Montebello, tells them that just about anything can be in an art exhibition, and there are many reasons why pieces are chosen to be in the museum. The kids take turns guessing why certain pieces are included in the museum-- some are beautiful, some tell stories, some are funny, and some are one of kind. When the young boy thinks about it, he realizes his grandma is all of those things and that she should be on display in the museum. When the curator of the museum tells him that the museum doesn't take grandmas, the boy has an idea. He opens his own art exhibit featuring his own art with his grandma as the main subject.

I thought this was a pretty adorable book. I like the format of it, with some of the text in word bubbles, and I liked the illustrations a lot. I would like to use this book to introduce an art assignment at the beginning of the year. I will have them create whatever kind of art piece they would like, and then have them share with the class what it means to them. Then we could create a classroom art gallery with all of their pieces.

[Marfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often tell kids in storytimes that the people who illustrate children's books are Real Artists. They have studied art and books like this are a prime example. The illustrator is Harry Bliss, better known for his Diary of a Worm work.
A boy, who can draw a very good cat (while it eyes him suspiciously) goes with his class to what is clearly the Metropolitan Museum of Art - where my roommate and I used to hang out on the steps with other people who had no a/c or somewhere to make out. Bliss reproduces some famous art as the class decides what makes art museum-worthy. The boy decides his grandma qualifies on all counts, but the curator says they don't take grandmas. It a Rule.
So the boy does the next best thing and does a series of paintings and sculptures of his grandma and shows them at an exhibition at home.
I could only wish that we saw bigger versions of his efforts.
This would be a great jumping-off point for budding artists.

[Lena Dallas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very sweet and I also feel that it could be very inspirational for young children. The attention to detail stood out to me, as well as the realistic elements in this book. This book emphasizes on the importance of art. It is important for children to gain an appreciation for art and I feel that this book helps to do so.

I think this would be a great book to utilize in the classroom! I can think of multiple ways to implement it to benefit future students. The content within this book is also very relatable. The little boy has a grandma whom he loves and decides to paint a picture of her to feature in the museum. This could act as a discussion prompt to then ask the students who they admire in their life. This could then lead you into an art project where you paint a picture of someone in your life who you love. It is a dream of mine to one day have an art wall in my classroom and I would allow the children to pin their painting up in our classroom "art gallery."

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family stories warm my heart and this one does that and so much more. As a child, I had many friends go to the Toledo Museum of Art on Saturdays for class, so the way this book started was appealing to me. (We tell students to make connections to books and that was my first connection.) Then it was a bit of a museum toour showing how there are so many different sorts of art and mediums for art to be shared. Finally the child in the story shares his own heart in his own gallery showing with the many depictions of his beloved grandmother. There is so much to see here and there is so much to discuss. I bought this book for my school library several years ago, but now I have reread it on Epic Books. It is as good virtually as it is in person. There are always smiles when I share this story. Check it out! I am sure you will smile, too.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy enjoys going to his art class every Saturday at the museum.
The author takes us through many reasons why something is considered art without offering judgments.
The boy thinks about all the things his classmates shared and realized that his Grandma is all of those things too. He can't donate her to the museum but he sets up his own exhibition of paintings of his grandma for his friends and neighbors to see.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy's favorite activity is going to the art museum every Saturday. He sees many different things in the museum. One day, he had an idea, he would put his grandma in the library! Unfortunately, the man in charge of the museum said there was a strict policy about putting one's
grandma there. The little boy had to think of something else! What would you have done? Hint: it has to do with his grandma!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a boy who goes to art class at the museum and they talk about why various pieces of art are in the museum. He decides his Grandma fits all those criteria. When the museum won't take his Grandma, he decides to create various pieces of art featuring his grandmother, inspired by famous artists.

Would be great if there was back matter documenting the original art works (as well as the art shown in the museum).

Good for talking to kids about what makes something art.

[Dewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, I wasn't sure about this one when I first started reading, but it got me...this is super cute. It's a lot of reading for a younger group, but I think this would be good for a preschool storytime on grandparents, and then as a craft you could have them create "portraits" of their grandparents.

[Adeline Arpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art means something different to everyone, and there are no wrong answers as to what art is. When a young boy thinks about what art means to him, he says that his grandma is art! He gets to work on making paintings and drawings of his grandma, and everyone begins to appreciate the art that is his grandma just as much as him.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to introduce children to Art, Artists, and Museums. To let them know, they are welcome to come into Museums showing priceless and famous works of art. And, those artworks, they can get right up to them and take in all the wonderful details.

Beautifully illustrated!

Highly recommend.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because a boy is painting his grandma, but he wanted to put his real grandma in the museum because his grandma was one-of-a-kind and silly and beautiful. But someone said, "we have a rule: we accept everything but grandmas," so he just paints a picture instead.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story about a kid who loves their grandma. Also a story about what makes something art, and how to think about the art you might see in a museum. It bothers me that while the protagonist is a Black kid, almost everyone else depicted has light skin. But it’s a fun book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet, and somewhat educational. Adults who know something about art will recognize some of 'inspirations' but there is no back matter, which would have made it a much better book. Read it more for the wonderful grandma; get to know her through her grandchild's eyes.

[Amanda Blau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy who believes his grandma is a great work of art curates an exhibition of artwork she has inspired.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to think much of this book. But it's a simple look at why something might be in an art museum. I like it's approach.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every art teacher needs this book! I absolutely adored and its not-too-corny (and yet SUPER sweet) message!

[Launna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story of a young artist with a gallery.

[Briana Brisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandma in Blue with Red Hat is a fiction book about a young boy that learns that anything can be art, and some things that can make it special. He believes his grandma is art, but when he presents it to the curator at the museum, his idea is shot down. This is a problem for him because he believes his grandma demonstrates everything that makes art, art. He solves his problem but creating his own exhibition about his grandma, that demonstrates many different aspects of her life that makes her special and one of a kind. The story is age-appropriate and the content is relatable to young readers. The illustrations correspond to the story and adds to the story. The characters represent a variety of cultural backgrounds, and none represent negative stereotypes. I really liked the story and believe many children would enjoy it.

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Saturday a young boy goes to art class at the museum. His teacher explains that anything can be in an art exhibition. She often asks the class why a particular piece is in the museum. Their answers vary from, "because it's beautiful," "different," "because it tells a story," "it came from far away," "it makes me feel good," "it's funny," and "because there's only one like it in the whole world." When the boy recounts his lesson to his grandma he realizes she is everything that makes art good! He wants to give her to the museum, but the curator says they can't take live grandmas. The boy gets a great idea! He paints and sculpts and draws. He opens his own exhibition to his parents, grandma, their friends, his teacher, and classmates. The focus of his gallery: grandma. The star painting: Grandma in Blue with Red Hat.

This book is fantastic! Not only does it advocate art for young people but it highlights the love between a grandson and his grandmother. Many pages show famous paintings, many of which influence the boy's own work. The book shows how art influences people, not only in having an open mind and cultural awareness, but also getting to know themselves and seeing common things in life as art. Great choice for anyone looking to introduce art and/or museums to young kids.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

After learning about the different reasons humans love art, a young boy decides that his grandmother possesses all those qualities. When he tries to donate her to the museum, the curator explains that a live model wouldn't be appropriate for its collection. The boy creates various artwork that exemplifies all the qualities of art--and his grandmother--and then puts them on exhibit. After all, she is beautiful, she tells a story, and she makes him feel good. The youngster certainly has plenty of artistic talent and a muse in his beloved relative. I liked how he worked so hard on his art and carried around a cat as he showed off the things he created, all shown in illustrations created with pen and ink and colored with watercolors. This picture book would be fun to share with aspiring artists or as an introduction to an art class since it expands readers' concepts of what art is and its purposes.

[Acelynn Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

After learning about what makes art special- beauty, the ability to make you feel emotion, and more- a young boy realizes that his grandmother fits the criteria! The boy goes on a journey to find out if he can honor his grandmother by putting her in an art museum so all can enjoy her!

This book is a wonderful story of imagination, curiosity, and love- something all kids can relate to! The inclusion of black characters/family illustrates diversity for a younger audience in a simple but meaningful way. By seeing that children of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds are curious, imaginative, and love their grandmas/families, any reader can draw connections between diverse characters and themselves.

I loved this book, it was super cute! I would definitely recommend this book to children ages 4-7 to provide basic exposure to diversity and an introduction to making connections across multicultural children and their different backgrounds.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator of Grandma in Blue with Red Hat comes to an important realization about art and about his Grandma. He listens to his classmates describe art, what makes art, well, ART. He realizes that his Grandma has all the attributes of a GREAT museum-worthy piece of art. Should he donate his Grandma to the museum?! Or can he honor both his love of art and his love of his Grandma in his own special way?

I liked this one very much! I thought it was very sweet. It gets big and little details just right. I love his relationship with his grandma. I appreciate the focus on art. I also noticed that the narrator has two pet cats, and, that he LOVES to draw them!


Note: Not every teacher *appreciates* illustrated underwear. This one does have a LARGE pair of underwear on display at a museum...in the boy's imagination!