Art Works

Any artist-even kids still getting a handle on their fine motor skills-will get good results by copying the simple shapes that make up the steps of these drawings. Breaking each drawing down into large masses gives kids practice with one of the fundamental techniques of representation. Art done in saturated colors and tactile art-supply textures-crumbly crayon, overlapping felt-tip marker lines, and rough paper-gives these books visual appeal. Perhaps Robots and Monsters provides the most leeway for improvisation, and the greatest margin of error, while Dinosaurs includes authentic details such as the Iguanodon’s thumb spikes and Parasaurolophus’s tubelike crest. Fairies and Mermaids appropriately represents the diversity of fairy and mermaid kind, although there’s only one boy fairy and no mermen. VERDICT Attainable results, lots of projects per volume, and an appealing look make this a good choice for very young artists. – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple, March 2016