If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur: In this sequel to the tour de force children's art-history picture book If Picasso Painted a Snowman, Amy Newbold conveys nineteen artists' styles in a few deft words, while Greg Newbold's chameleon-like artistry shows us Edgar Degas' dinosaur ballerinas, Cassius Coolidge's dinosaurs playing Go Fish, Hokusai's dinosaurs surfing a giant wave, and dinosaurs smelling flowers in Mary Cassatt's garden; grazing in Grandma Moses' green valley; peeking around Diego Rivera's lilies; tiptoeing through Baishi's inky bamboo; and cavorting, stampeding, or hiding in canvases by Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Franz Marc, Harrison Begay, Alma Thomas, Aaron Douglas, Mark Rothko, Lois Mailou Jones, Marguerite Zorach, and Edvard Munch. And, of course, striking a Mona Lisa pose for Leonardo da Vinci.
As in If Picasso Painted a Snowman, our guide for this tour is an engaging hamster who is joined in the final pages by a tiny dino artist. Thumbnail biographies of the artists identify their iconic works, completing this tour of the creative imagination. Color throughout.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is amazing! I loved that it explored so many famous artists with one drawing theme, dinosaurs! It was so original, creative and inspiring! It was so fun looking at all the wonderful drawings, painting and all the styles. Like the book says, there is more than one way to draw a dinosaur. A great book to introduce children to art and to inspire young kids to draw and to be creative!
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Praise for If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur:
“Nineteen reimagined images present slightly altered versions of iconic paintings by famous artists, substituting dinosaurs as subjects. Readers are treated to a microraptor standing in for the Mona Lisa, avelociraptor as Frida Kahlo, and a looming giganotosaurus prompting Edvard Munch's The Scream. The illustrations don't just merely replace original elements, such as offering gamboling triceratops and stegosauruses as paper cutouts by Henri Matisse. They also strive to capture the overall emotion of each original...this picture book will encourage creativity, prompt giggling,and hopefully spark gleeful recognition.”
- Booklist
“Art history with a little smile.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“In the second of a playful, conceptual series (following If Picasso Painted a Snowman), the Newbolds, a married team, reimagine classic works of art with a prehistoric twist. A friendly hamster draws with a purple crayon: “If Leonardo Da Vinci drew a dinosaur, it might look like...” The result is a mash-up of da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and a pterodactyl. Plesiosaurs surf Katsushika Hokusai’s wave, and in Edvard Munch’s iconic painting, the figure on the bridge has a real reason to scream. The image replications capture each artist’s styles and the works’ recognizable features… [T]he creators deliver a memorable introduction to famed works of art."
- Publishers Weekly
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Mother Earth’s Lullaby: When Mother Earth bids goodnight, / the world is bathed in silver light. / She says, “Goodnight, my precious ones.” / Nature’s song has just begun.
Mother Earth’s Lullaby is a gentle bedtime call to some of the world’s most endangered animals. Rhythm, rhyme, and repetition create a quiet moment for children burrowing down in their own beds for the night, imparting a sense that even the most endangered animals feel safe at this peaceful time of day. In successive spreads, a baby giant panda, yellow-footed rock wallaby, California condor, Ariel toucan, American red wolf, Sumatran tiger, polar bear, Javan rhinoceros, Vaquita dolphin, Northern spotted owl, Hawaiian goose, and Key deer are snuggled to sleep by attentive parents in their dens and nests under the moon and stars.
Brief descriptions of each animal appear in the back of the book. Color throughout.
by Terry Pierce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is beautiful, both the story and the illustrations. It is also so important and very special. In the back of the book there are blurbs on each of the endangered animals featured in the book. It is important for adults and kids to know what dangers these majestic creature face and how we can help to ensure they do not go extinct. The songs rhyming nature makes it so perfect for a read aloud. It is such a darling book and one that kids will love and parents will love to read. Sheer perfection!
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