Review - Kahlo's Koalas: The Great Artists Counting Book

Kahlo's Koalas: The Great Artists Counting Book
by Grace Helmer
Date: 2018
Publisher: LOM Art
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

From Matisse's monkeys and Pollock's poodles to Lichtenstein's llamas and Kandinsky's kangaroos, this beautiful 1-10 counting book provides an imaginative learning experience that will appeal to adults and children alike.

With illustrator Grace Helmer's quirky renderings of animals in the style of world-famous artists, Kahlo's Koalas extends the basic counting concept in a simple, one number, one image per spread format that introduces the smallest children to their first concept of numbers, animals and art appreciation.

Featuring:

1 Picasso Panda
2 Kahlo Koalas
3 Lichtenstein Llamas
4 Matisse Monkeys
5 Pollock Poodles
6 Kandinsky Kangaroos
7 Van Gogh Geckos
8 Seurat Sloths
9 Warhol Warthogs
10 Monet Mice

Includes simple, child-friendly information about the ten featured artists plus a fun number sequence spread.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is an interesting idea for a counting picture book... although I think it maybe misses the mark for its audience a little. If your "little one" really cares about old artists, more power to them. But I think that aspect of the book is really going to be more for the parents. (The little blurbs at the back about each artist are supposedly written for kids, but I doubt children who are just learning their numbers are going to understand words and terms like "trademark", "tongue-in-cheek", "contrast", "posse", "painstaking", and "impression".)

As an adult, I appreciated seeing the different art styles, even as I question how accurate they are. I've seen the work of a few of these artists, and some of these imitations don't look quite right. I'd be tempted to show the child some real examples of the artists' work... but then, only if they were old enough to appreciate it. If they're still at the stage where they're using counting books to learn their numbers, I doubt they would be.

Thank you to NetGalley and LOM Art for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5