The age-old "I Spy" game continues to engage. Micklethwait (I Spy Colors in Art, 2007, etc.) builds on tried-and-true elements to provoke successful, quality interactions around art with these ten “specially chosen” images. She encourages readers to “[t]hink about what you see and how [the pictures] make you feel.” After enjoying the cover, a detail from Seurat’s accessible The Bathers at Asnières, readers find a series of ten two-page spreads, each of which include the total image, a brief description of the painting in question, some engaging facts about the artist, a few pointed questions and carefully chosen details for the readers’/viewers’ delectation. The book ends with several pages that variously pique interest, ask questions or suggest art projects. Painters include Chagall, Breughel the Elder, Bosch, Collier, Verrocchio, Steen and more. Unfortunately, the paintings highlighted are so large and their image details so small that large group interactions with the book will be less than effective. Better for close sharing; children will probably enjoy multiple trips through it. (Informational picture book. 5-8)
