Early Reader Review: Anna at the Art Museum by Hazel Hutchins

Source: From Netgalley and Annick Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

 Anna at the Art Museum by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert

Publisher: Annick Press
Publication Date:  September 11, 2018

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

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.

Review:
Even as an adult some museums can be a bit blah and boring, and as a kid in a museum, I know that there were times I wanted to doze off. In this book Anna is a young girl at an art museum and she is just trying to get through her time there. She is bored and doesn't know about any museum rules, so she keeps getting in trouble. 

This is a wonderfully illustrated children's book that incorporates pieces of art throughout. There are early Japanese pieces, Monet, Degas and The Scream by Edvard Munch on the walls of the museum. The end of the book even gives you the pieces names, dates and artists as well as where they are housed in their real world museums.

The book is meant to be a teaching tool, learning about the museum rules and etiquette but also about learning to really appreciate what art has to offer. I love art and museums, to be surrounded by all that talent and different perspectives and I think this will be a fun book to share with your youngster.