Abstract :
Children’s picture books that recreate, parody, or fictionalize famous
artworks and introduce the art museum experience, a genre to which I will refer as
‘‘children’s art books,’’ have become increasingly popular over the past decade.
This essay explores the pedagogical implications of this trend through the family
program ‘‘Picture Books and Picture Looks’’ conducted at the Art Institute of
Chicago. Program sessions were observed to learn the extent to which picture books
featuring the painting A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884 (Seurat) informed and
impacted children’s experiences with the original artwork. The books Katie’s
Sunday Afternoon (Mayhew, 2005), Babar’s Museum of Art (De Brunhoff, 2003),
and Willy’s Pictures (Browne, 2000) provided the foundation for the program. In
addition to these three books, The Dot (Reynolds, 2003), which does not include a
reference to La Grande Jatte (Seurat, 1884–1886), acted as a ‘‘control’’ variable.
This research demonstrates that while most picture books can be used to establish a
level of comfort in an environment that is new to children, those that directly
referenced the painting provided a base level of knowledge from which children
could confidently draw upon encountering the original work. The research further
indicated that, when used in conjunction with original artworks, children’s art books
provide unique and distinct entry points for talking about art. The inclusion of
artwork in children’s picture books elicits an enthusiasm and recognition thatenhances the museum experience, and such books can be effective tools for
enabling reflective, imaginative experiences with art
