It's been firmly in print ever since, recognised universally as the original and best introduction to art for children. By bringing kids directly into the painting, not only is James Mayhew able to create interest in art, but he is able to explain the painting better and in many cases, explain the artists’ motivation behind the creation of the piece.James Mayhew trained at Maidstone College of Art and his first children's book, Katie's Picture Show was published in 1989. For me, at least, this book and the others in the series were among my first introductions to famous art pieces like the Mona Lisa, and I learned a lot about art and artists through this series. The illustrations also serve to depict these famous art pieces in a respectful way, which I believe they achieve, while also portraying a very compelling story about a little girl who gets to go into and literally experience the famous art that she sees.Īnother thing that I love about this book is its ability to introduce kids to famous art in a way that is still fun and engaging for them. Done in a way that makes them feel like art themselves, I really appreciate the way that James Mayhew is able to breathe a new life into already established subjects of famous art pieces and settings. Through this adventure, Katie and Mona Lisa find themselves in many other famous paintings, and causing more than their fair share of mayhem in the museum!īy far one of my favorite parts of this book is the illustrations. Delighted at having a visitor, Mona Lisa explains that she is quite lonely and doesn’t feel like smiling anymore, so Katie takes her on an adventure to make her smile again. When Katie asks Grandma what makes the Mona Lisa smile, Grandma suggests that Katie go find out! So Katie goes and looks at the Mona Lisa herself, and is soon invited to come into the painting. They discuss their favorite paintings, and Katie says hers is the Mona Lisa. The book begins with Katie and her grandma, who frequently visit museums on their days out. Katie and The Mona Lisa, by James Mayhew, was among my favorite books as a kid, and I can remember begging my parents to read it again and again and spending many hours sitting on the floor looking through the beautiful illustrations. Happy Traditional Thursday! Today I thought I’d talk about a book that I absolutely loved as a child, and is still a staple on my bookshelf.
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