Anna's Art Adventure. . - Book - book review

Arts & Activities, Jan, 2002 by Jerome J. Hausman

ANNA'S ART ADVENTURE (1999; $15.95), by Bjorn Sortland; illustrated by Lars Elling. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 241 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MH 55401.

How might a teacher or parent of preschool or primary-grade children approach a visit to a museum or art gallery? Bjorn Sortland's imaginary child Anna finds herself in an art museum. Her Uncle Harold is conducting an adult tour while Anna wanders off in search of a bathroom. What follows is a series of imagined encounters with artists and their works: Rembrandt, Mondrian, van Gogh, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse, Pollock and others. Brief biographies of each of the artists are included at the end of the book. Lars Elling's humorous caricatures provide readers with a sense of many of the artists' appearances, along with a sense of what their works look like.

Overall, the story is "cute" but without much substance. In some instances, unfortunate stereotypes are reinforced. The book's strength is in its imaginative outreach and the playful nature of its narrative. A skilled teacher might generate similar stories that relate to artists and works of art in a local museum.--J.J.H. For information about this publication, circle No. 899 on the Reader Service Card.

A-V/VISUAL/CD-ROM: Barbara Herberhoh

BOOK: Jerome J. Hausman