Picture Books about Art
These books revel in the wonder of museums, replete with well-known works of art, and in the magic of creating art—its inspirations and its process.
Anholt, Laurence. Cézanne and the Apple Boy. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s, 2009.
A young boy helps his father, the reclusive artist Paul Cézanne, who struggles to have his art taken seriously.
Baker, Sharon Reiss. A Nickel, a Trolley, a Treasure House. Illustrated by Beth Peck. New York: Viking, 2007.
Inspired by an understanding teacher, a boy in early 1900s New York visits a museum and recognizes his own artistic talent.
Beard, Alex. Monkey See, Monkey Draw. New York: Abrams, 2011.
A group of energetic monkeys discover the fun and possibilities of creating paintings from handprints and footprints.
Browne, Anthony. The Shape Game. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2003.
A young boy tours a museum, and the works of art become a springboard for family discussion in this humorous story.
Haseley, Dennis. Twenty Heartbeats. Illustrated by Ed Young. New York: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, 2008.
Depicted as an old Chinese legend, this story portrays a famous painter commissioned by a rich man to create a painting of his favorite horse.
Hogrogian, Nonny. Cool Cat. New York: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, 2009.
Helped by various animals, a cat changes their landscape from dull to colorful in this wordless picture book.
Johnson, Angela. Lily Brown’s Paintings. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New York: Orchard/Scholastic, 2007.
A young African American girl creates art based on the world she sees and the magic she imagines.
Larsen, Andrew. The Imaginary Garden. Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher. Toronto: Kids Can, 2009.
A little girl and her grandfather paint a colorful garden that enlivens their black-and-white apartments.
Lichtenheld, Tom. Bridget’s Beret. New York: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt, 2010.
A young girl loses her inspiration when she loses her artist’s beret.
Magoon, Scott. Hugo & Miles in I’ve Painted Everything! Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Two friends take a trip to Paris, where the museums and the atmosphere inspire one of them to return to his painting.
Maltbie, P. I. Picasso and Minou. Illustrated by Pau Estrada. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2005.
Picasso’s pet cat helps him move from his Blue Period to his Rose Period, which enables him to support himself and keep on painting.
Mayhew, James. Katie’s Sunday Afternoon. New York: Orchard/Scholastic, 2004.
At a gallery, a young girl climbs into one painting after another, where she meets the characters portrayed. See also Katie and the Sunflowers (2000), Katie and the Spanish Princess (2006), and Katie and the Water Lily Pond (2010).
McDonnell, Patrick. Art. New York: Little, Brown, 2006.
A young boy named Art creates art in this celebration of the techniques, subjects, and appreciation of artistic endeavor.
Montanari, Eva. Chasing Degas. New York: Abrams, 2009.
A young ballerina tries desperately to find the painter whose bag was mixed up with hers, and she meets famous artists in 1870s Paris along the way.
———. The Crocodile’s True Colors. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2002.
As various animals attempt to portray a crocodile in their art, readers learn about Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, and other artistic styles.
Pericoli, Matteo. Tommaso and the Missing Line. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.
Bright orange lines stand out in black-and-white illustrations as a boy searches throughout his town for the line missing from his drawing.
Pfister, Marcus. Henri, Egg Artiste. Translated by J. Alison James. New York: North-South, 2005.
An Easter egg-painting rabbit decides to try something different, which results in art inspired by famous artists.
Reynolds, Peter H. The Dot. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2003.
Convinced that she cannot draw, a young girl begins with a dot and then is inspired to paint with that theme.
———. Ish. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2004.
A negative remark by his brother makes Ramon give up drawing, until his sister restores his confidence.
Scieszka, Jon. Seen Art? Illustrated by Lane Smith. New York: Viking and the Museum of Modern Art, 2005.
With wordplay and reproductions of famous artistic works, this story of a young boy looking for his friend Art also takes him into the Museum of Modern Art to discover art.
Spiro, Ruth. Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist. Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. New York: Dutton, 2008.
Although Lester doesn’t seem to fit in with his family of artists, he finds his talent in this story filled with famous works of art.
Thomson, Bill. Chalk. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2010.
In this wordless picture book, a group of children make chalk drawings that mysteriously become real.
Tougas, Chris. Art’s Supplies. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2008.
Pencils, markers, scissors, and other supplies come to colorful and humorous life.
Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth. Look! Look! Look! Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2006.
As a mouse family discusses a famous painting on a postcard, readers learn about pattern, color, line, and other artistic elements.
Wiesner, David. Art & Max. Boston: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
Max wants to paint, and things get quickly out of control in this colorful adventure.