Anna at the Art Museum
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Average rating3
15
Ratings2
Average rating3
Art is for everyone—even a bored little girl. Going to the Art Museum with her mom is no fun at all for Anna. Everything is old and boring and there are so many rules: Don’t Touch! Do Not Enter! Quiet! A vigilant guard keeps a close eye on the energetic little girl, but even so, Anna manages to set off an alarm and almost tip over a vase. A half-open door draws Anna’s attention, but the No Entry sign means yet again that it’s off-limits. This time, however, the guard surprises her by inviting her to go in. Here she finds a “secret workshop” where paintings are being cleaned and repaired. Staring out from one of the canvases is a girl who looks grumpy and bored—just like Anna herself. With the realization that art often imitates life, Anna discovers the sheer joy to be had from the paintings on the wall, especially those that reflect what is happening all around her. Filled with representations of paintings from many world-class galleries, this charming book is the perfect prelude to a child’s first visit to an art museum.
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It's great to have books that inspire kids to go to the museum, and prepare them to what it is, so that it is less scary for them. I was even more pleasant when I thought it was with people of colors! Finally! But then, I felt a little bit taken aback by the very-low quality of the illustrations and by the overall message of the book. Anna is bored, very very bored at the museum. She starts doing everything her mom told her not to do: climbing, touching, screaming... Her mom spends lots of time on her phone and is often far away from her, which doesn't help much... In the end, a kind museum guard allows her to explore a mysterious workshop, and there she has the biggest revelation! There's a painted grumpy girl, and she looks just like her! She then realized the magic of art, and how the inside world reflects the outside world. The ending is full of magic feelings, which makes it ends nicely and smoothly.
I still feel doubtful about the overall message of the book. I feel like for the kids reading this book, they will be able to relate to what they are not supposed to do, but then, they might not have access to the same kind of magical revelation, or see themselves in the art pieces, which will make it harder for them to live Anna's magical revelation. I wish this book could have spent more time exploring some dialogues between the mom and the daughter, to look at the art together, to explain the links between the “inside and the outside worlds”... This kind of book is needed, but I feel like this could have been done in a better way.
Thank you NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read and reviewed: 2018-11-01
Anna is bored at the art museum...until she finally sees a piece of art she can connect with.
Lots of lovely art work, both well known and little known, on the walls to share with children.
