Great Picture Books About Artists

Reading picture books about artists is a wonderful way to introduce children to fine art, art history, and artists. Picture books about artists can give children a glimpse into artists’ lives, an overview of the development of their art, and an understanding of their individual style.

You don’t need a degree in art history to talk about or have opinions about art, and children can offer very real and pure reactions to art that are as valid and important as any art critic.

Here are some children’s books about artists you can read aloud with your child to introduce them to art and to spark some conversations about different artists and their work.

Below are a few discussion questions to get a conversation started as you read any of these books and look at any of these artists’ works.

My Name is Georgia: A Portrait
Author and Illustrator: Jeanette Winter
Artist Spotlighted: Georgia O’Keeffe

Title: Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Author and Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe
Artist Spotlighted: Jean-Michel Basquiat

Title: Henri’s Scissors
Author and Illustrator: Jeanette Winter
Artist Spotlighted: Henri Matisse

Title: Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gauidí
Author: Rachel Rodriguez
Illustrator: Julie Paschkis
Artist Spotlighted: Antoni Gaudí

Title: Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing
Author: Kay A. Haring
Illustrator: Robert Neubecker
Artist Spotlighted: Keith Haring

Title: Nature’s Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story
Author: Lindsey McDivitt
Illustrator: Eileen Ryan Ewen
Artist Spotlighted: Gwen Frostic

Title: Action Jackson
Author: Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan
Illustrator: Robert Andrew Parker
Artist Spotlighted: Jackson Pollock

Title: Vincent’s Colors
Words and Pictures: Vincent van Gogh
Editor: Metropolitan Museum of Art, William Lach
Artist Spotlighted: Vincent van Gogh

Title: The Noisy Paint Box
Author: Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator: Mary GrandPre
Artist Spotlighted: Vasily Kandinsky

Title: Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol
Author and Illustrator: James Warhola
Artist Spotlighted: Andy Warhol

Title: Miro’s Magic Animals
Author: Anthony Penrose
Pictures: photos by Lee Miller and images of Miro’s artwork
Artist Spotlighted: Joan Miró

Title: Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity!
Author: Sarah Suzuki
Illustrator: Ellen Weinstein
Artist Spotlighted: Yayoi Kusama

Title: Art From Her Heart: Folk Artist Clementine Hunter
Author: Kathy Witehead
Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Artist Spotlighted: Clementine Hunter

Title: My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey 
Author: Jeanne Walker Harvey
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
Artist Spotlighted: Romare Bearden

Title: Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire
Author: Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville
Illustrator: Brigette Barrager
Artist Spotlighted: Mary Blair

Title: Papa Chagall, Tell Us a Story
Author and Illustrator: Laurence Anholt
Artist Spotlighted: Marc Chagall

Title: The Magical Garden of Claude Monet
Author and Illustrator: Laurence Anholt
Artist Spotlighted: Claude Monet

Title: Leonardo and the Flying Boy
Author and Illustrator: Laurence Anholt
Artist Spotlighted: Leonardo da Vinci

Questions to Ask After Reading

Reading any of these lovely picture books gives your child a behind the scenes view of fine art and can spark their own creativity. To take it a step further, here are a few questions to get a discussion started around these artists and art in general:

• What was your favorite part of this book?
• What do you think of this artist? Would you like to be friends with him/her?
• How would you describe this artists’ style of art? (If you’re stuck on this one, you can ask if it is realistic, simple, detailed, bright, dull?)
• Do you like this artists’ style of artwork? Why or why not?
• What is unique or special about what this artist created?
• Would you like to create something in this artist’s style?

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