Blue and other colours with Henri Matisse

Phaidon, 2016. ISBN 9780714871325
(Age: 2-6) Recommended. Board book, Matisse, Art, Colour. A board book full of reproductions of Matisse's work with scissors, done when he was old and arthritic, sitting in bed with painted paper and a pair of scissors is offered to encourage younger children to recognise colours through the medium of an artist's work. It is a lovely book to hold and look at each page in turn. The text draws the reader onto the next page, a child wondering what the words will say as they explain the colours on each page. Some pages reflect one colour, then another colour is added, then several colours are shown, then the book comes back to one, adding a subtle level of excitement for the reader. Reading aloud with a group of children will encourage their colour recognition, involvement in an artist's world and the possibility of trying the technique themselves. The last double page shows a whole range of colours inviting the reader to recognise and point to each in turn, the last page has a potted history of Matisse and his work for the adult to read out to the child and incorporate in the use of the book, while inside the front cover is a list of all the works shown in the book with their details. This is one of a series of board books published by Phaidon, First Concepts with Fine Artists.
Fran Knight