If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur
by Amy Newbold
illustrated by Greg Newbold
Date: 2018
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library
A new kid-friendly tour of art history from the Newbolds
In this sequel to the tour de force children’s art-history picture book If Picasso Painted a Snowman, Amy Newbold conveys nineteen artists’ styles in a few deft words, while Greg Newbold’s chameleon-like artistry shows us Edgar Degas’ dinosaur ballerinas, Cassius Coolidge’s dinosaurs playing Go Fish, Hokusai’s dinosaurs surfing a giant wave, and dinosaurs smelling flowers in Mary Cassatt’s garden; grazing in Grandma Moses’ green valley; peeking around Diego Rivera's orchids in Frida Kahlo’s portrait; tiptoeing through Baishi’s inky bamboo; and cavorting, stampeding, or hiding in canvases by Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Franz Marc, Harrison Begay, Alma Thomas, Aaron Douglas, Mark Rothko, Lois Mailou Jones, Marguerite Zorach, and Edvard Munch. And, of course, striking a Mona Lisa pose for Leonardo da Vinci.
As in If Picasso Painted a Snowman, our guide for this tour is an engaging beret-topped hamster who is joined in the final pages by a tiny dino artist. Thumbnail biographies of the artists identify their iconic works, completing this tour of the creative imagination.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur is the second book in this artistic series by the Newbolds that imagines how various famous artists would have painted a certain subject (in this case, dinosaurs).
It's really neat to see the various styles of art. I have to say, however, that I found this book a little bit weaker than If Picasso Painted a Snowman. Maybe it's just because I'm not a dinosaur fan (although this book would be great for those who are). Some of the paintings didn't even depict dinosaurs at all, but things like the K-T boundary (which I had to look up; I thought that one was a painting of a window!).
These are nice books for introducing kids to many different styles of art. Little biographical sketches are included at the back, so if you see a painting that really piques your interest, you can go and check out the artist's other work.
Overall, this isn't as good as If Picasso Painted a Snowman, but it's still a worthwhile read... especially for dinosaur lovers.
Quotable moment:
Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall: 3.67 out of 5
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