Children's Books About Painters

Who Was Leonardo da Vinci? by Roberta Edwards

• Roberta Edwards answers the question "Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?" in an easy-to-understand book for children. Young students often have a hard time concentrating due to active imaginations and curiosity, which is exactly why Leonardo da Vinci is an interesting artist for them to learn about. Edwards describes the many pages of da Vinci's disorganized notes and his dreams of creating an encyclopedia full of illustrations, as well as discusses his 13 known paintings and describes his successes as not only a painter, but an author, musician, scientist and inventor. This book is recommended for children ages 8 and above.

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt

• Using charming fictional characters woven with real-life facts, Laurence Anholt has created a book that describes the life of painter Claude Monet using themes your child can relate to -- friendship, nature, curiosity and hard work. After reading this book, take your child on a walk to take pictures of colorful flowers. Using the photos for reference, paint a garden in the impressionist style of Monet. Refer back to the illustrations while you paint, particularly the large fold-out page that includes Monet's famous painting, "Water Lilies." This book is recommended for children ages 4 to 8 years old.

Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules by True Kelley

• In looking at his paintings, it is very easy to agree with True Kelley that Pablo Picasso indeed broke all the usual rules when it came to art. "Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules" will capture your child's attention using a writing style that is familiar -- from the voice of an elementary school student doing a school report. The upside-down, wacky ways of Picasso's works will show your child that anything is possible with a paintbrush and a little imagination. This book is full of fun facts -- like Picasso's first word as a baby -- and contains the student's replicas of his famous works as well as copies of the originals. Recommended for children ages 5 to 9 years old.

Jackson Pollock by Mike Venezia

• Author Mike Venezia uses humor, engaging stories and replicas of Jackson Pollock's paintings to teach facts about the painter's life and creative process, which used emotion to guide his work, as opposed to objects. Pollock painted using a method that can easily be adopted by children -- action painting. He would tape paper to the floor and drip, drop and splatter colors until he reached his final product. After you have finished reading this book with your child, bring large pieces of paper outside and pretend to be Pollock by using paint, buckets, cups, egg beaters or your bare hands to create art. This book is recommended for children ages 6 and above.