Author: Elizabeth Yohlin

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13:

Children's picture books that recreate, parody, and fictionalizefamous artworks andintroduce the museum experience and have become increasingly popularover the past decade. Through extensive and varied research, my thesis explores the pedagogical and theoretical implications of the children's art book trend. To answer my overall research question--What is the purpose and function of art historical references in children's picture books?--I conducted case studies, content analyses, and interviews.Each method of research corresponded to the following sub-questions: How do children's art books impact a child's experience with art? How do the booksportray the art world and museum experience? What are the authors' objectives and are they achieved? The case studies were held at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of thefamily program "Picture Books and Picture Looks." Each of the eight sessions explored the extent to which picture books featuringA Sunday on La Grande Jatte--1884 (Seurat) informed the children's experiences with the original painting. The subsequent content analysis deconstructed the books using frameworks set forth by picture book scholars to critically evaluate their subtexts. Finally, I interviewed several authors of children's art books to investigate their intentions and rationales. My case studies indicated that when used in conjunction with original artworks, children's art books provide unique and distinct entry points to talking about art, eliciting an enthusiasm and recognition that enhances the museum experience.These findings aligned with the authors' ambitions to ensure art's accessibility while enabling a child to develop a sense of ownership over an artwork. Where the books became problematic, however, was in recycling the same canonical artists and artworks and, in some instances, perpetuating elitist and exclusive perceptions of the art world. This research demonstrated that children's art books could be effective tools for creating conditions for reflective, imaginative experiences with art; however, educators must be prudent in selecting texts and introducing them with criticality and sensitivity. Further, my research calls for the creation of books with more diverse selections of artists and representations of the museum public.