Holiday Gift Ideas

Art Books for Kids

The holidays are here! It's time to put on your creative gift-giving thinking cap! Here are some beautiful, creative and just darn FUN books that would make great gifts for the kids on your list.

Why give an art book as a gift? Most kids enjoy creating art. They love to "get messy" using paint, Play-Doh, glue, and glitter. However, some kids do not consider themselves to be artists and do not believe they are able to create beautiful art. Other kids get a little stuck in their creativity and need a nudge to help them expand the types of art they create. Here are some great books that feature compelling stories and beautiful illustrations that encourage kids to use their imaginations to develop a greater appreciation of the different ways to create art and a greater understanding of the messages that art can convey.

1. The Beautiful Oops, by Barney Saltzberg. Have you ever observed your kids or your students ball up a piece of paper because they made a mistake while drawing? Well The Beautiful Oops will give your little artist ideas as to how turn what at first seems to be a mistake into something wonderful.
2. The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. This book is ideal for the hesitant artist who does not quite know where to start. In response to her teacher's suggestion that she start off by making a dot, Vashti angrily puts a dot on her paper. From that dot the word of art opens up to Vashti.
3. I Am an Artist by Pat Lowery Collins. Many kids and adults alike are quite creative but have a hard time viewing themselves as artists. Collins shows that the definition of "artist" is quite broad. By simply looking closely at objects around them kids will eventually realize that they do indeed have the mind and imagination of an artist.
4. Why is Blue Dog Blue by George Rodrigue. Written by Cajun artist George Rodrigue, Why is the Blue Dog Blue encourages kids to think beyond the obvious when they create art and to make color choices based on the message they want to send through their art. While Rodrigue's message may seem complex, the book is written in a way that children will understand and apply it to their own artwork.
5. Ish by Peter H. Reynolds. Oftentimes adults and even other kids do not quite understand drawings created by kids. However, to the artist the drawing makes perfect sense. Ish gives encouragement to that child who has become discouraged because his or her artwork has been misunderstood.
6. Layla the Lonely Ladybug by Sarah E. McManus. This one is not as directly art themed as the others on our list, but the art work in the book is darling and it's message is heart warming. Buy it here.

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