Baby Animals: Little Ones at Play in 20 Works of Art

Twenty works of animal art from DaVinci's drawings to Japanese netsuke provide an early learner's set of lessons on art. Even more than a selection of baby animal art pictures, though, this is a very simple primer on small animals. The artworks aren't explained in the main text - which consists of simple one-line descriptors ("baby chickens are called chicks") - but in the back, making this a visual introduction to get kids accustomed to both small animal definitions and different forms of pictorial representation - perfect for elementary-level collections seeking a solid introduction based on a child's early interest in animals, as well as art studies reference collections for children.

Rhyming phrases: "baby dogs, baby cats, baby goats, baby bats" accompanied by descriptive sentences that identify the name given to the baby: "Tigers are big cats, and their babies are called cubs" stand out on bright white paper opposite lovely paintings selected from the art collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that depict baby animals: puppies, tiger cubs, owlets. This is a beautiful book to own and share with a favorite baby on your lap.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has more than two million works of art-and a surprising number of them feature baby animals. Utilizing some of these pieces, William Lach, editor at the museum, exposes children to many types of art including a carpet, oil painting, pen and paper, silk embroidery, watercolor, and more. Lach uses a sweet, lyrical rhyme to accompany the full-page illustrations. The soothing rhythm is good for calming little ones at bedtime and at two words per page, it a quick read for the squirrelly little ones that don't like to hold still for too long. At the bottom of each page (not part of the rhyming text) is also a line giving the names of baby animals, for example, "Baby crayfish are called hatchlings." I'm not sure whether the muted colors of the art works will give little ones a finer appreciation of art, but they will gain exposure to some of the greats like da Vinci and Cassatt and also see that art is more than paint and canvas. The book is lovely and will make a wonderful addition to any child's library. Armchair Interviews agrees.