From Publishers Weekly
The theory that interest in fine art can be kindled by actively engaging children in discussion shapes this series, now on its third volume. From a Lascaux cave painting to a Rauschenberg collage, 12 chronologically ordered paintings are paired with questions that guide viewers in pondering an artist's intentions or identifying elements of form, line, composition, color, etc. For example, "Would you be afraid to walk among these animals? Why or why not?" accompanies Edward Hicks's The Peaceable Kingdom . Often dull exercises in tallying similar objects, her questions are sometimes rhetorical, as in the suggested resemblance between Paul Klee's Cat and Bird and a mask, and seem ill-suited to the suggested age range. Supplementary texts--covering biographical details, iconography and, occasionally, style--seem to be aimed at adults rather than children. Unlike the exhibit mounted in I Spy (see above), Blizzard's selection of paintings is insufficiently varied, and her book never rises above the dutiful. Ages 5-10. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


American Educator, Quarterly Journal of the American Federation of Teachers
"...the COME LOOK WITH ME series enriches us all."



"…A source of fresh ideas for making fine art meaningful to children."


The Horn Book
"Unlike many art books for children, these collections will intimidate no one and open new doors for many."


Book Description
Few subjects have more immediate appeal to children than animals, and few methods of teaching youngsters to appreciate fine art have proven more successful than those of art educator Gladys S. Blizzard. In COME LOOK WITH ME: Animals in Art, the third volume of her series of interactive art books, she makes the most of children’s natural curiosity about animals to introduce them not only to twelve magnificent works of art, but also to a whole new way of encountering art. Using an approach which is as fun as it is effective, the author deftly guides her young audience toward their own understanding of and delight in the world of art. The works featured in Animals in Art represent a variety of styles which youngsters will encounter again in museums and in books: the muscular realism of Rosa Bonheur’s The Horse Fair, the delicate romanticism of Martin Johnson Heade’s Cattleya Orchid and Tree Brazilian Hummingbirds, and the bold abstraction of Henri Matisse’s The Snail. They also represent an intriguing menagerie of beasts, from the mysterious deer and horses stampeding across the wall of Lascaux cave to Paul Klee’s whimsical heart –nosed cat dreaming of a bird. Each work of art is accompanied by a brief biographical sketch of the artist and a series of open-ended questions designed to encourage discussion. Through her thought-provoking text, Mrs. Blizzard encourages children to imagine themselves in the paintings: striding among the solemn-eyed creatures in Edward Hick’s The Peaceable Kingdom, setting out on a voyage aboard Roy DeForest’s fantastical Canoe of Fate. In each work of art, children will discover the rewards of looking closely to find the details that bring a painting to life. Whether enjoyed in a family or a classroom setting, COME LOOK WITH ME: Animals in Art offers art lovers of all ages the perfect way to celebrate what Gladys Blizzard calls "the pleasure of shared experience and to nurture a lifelong appreciations for the visual arts.


Card catalog description
Presents twelve color reproductions of paintings of animals by such artists as Albrecht Dèurer, Paul Klee, and Robert Rauschenberg, with questions to stimulate discussion and background information on each artist and painting.


About the Author
Gladys S. Blizzard’s experiences as an art teacher and work as curator of education at the Bayly Art Museum at the University of Virginia served as the basis for the first four books in the COME LOOK WITH ME series. The series continues to be praised as an example of exceptional educational material. Mrs. Blizzard published articles in Art Teacher, a magazine of the National Art Education Association and American Educator, the Quarterly Journal of the American Federation of Teachers. She also gave numerous workshops demonstrating her techniques, including an arts education workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The series has been included in the Getty Center for Education in the Arts summer seminar for art teachers as an example of exceptional educational material.

ANNOTATION

Presents twelve color reproductions of paintings of animals by such artists as Albrecht D￯﾿ﾽurer, Paul Klee, and Robert Rauschenberg, with questions to stimulate discussion and background information on each artist and painting.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin