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lovememybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
clarissa_reads99's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic introduction to famous art with added dinosaurs. This picture book is filled with lovely reproductions of famous paintings, but the people in them have been switched with dinosaurs. Vetruvian Man is rendered as a microraptor, etc.
magpiesv's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure if it's something I could use for library programs, but certainly fun and well illustrated. It's clear someone was paying attention.
This is the kind of thing that's practically tailor made for my sense of humor....while certainly not the best example, the Edvard Munch one cracked me up, and I love that they chose maiasaura-the good mother lizard-for Mary Cassatt. I want posters of all of these, especially the Aaron Douglas and Frida Kahlo. And I like the duckbills in the style of Franz Marc better than the original.
I also appreciate that while there's certainly still a western male bias, it's a great deal less white and male than many other introductory arts books (*side eyes at Isabella Artist Extraordinaire*) and I confess this had a few I was unfamiliar with. Now I just need to find the right people to share this with!
This is the kind of thing that's practically tailor made for my sense of humor....while certainly not the best example, the Edvard Munch one cracked me up, and I love that they chose maiasaura-the good mother lizard-for Mary Cassatt. I want posters of all of these, especially the Aaron Douglas and Frida Kahlo. And I like the duckbills in the style of Franz Marc better than the original.
I also appreciate that while there's certainly still a western male bias, it's a great deal less white and male than many other introductory arts books (*side eyes at Isabella Artist Extraordinaire*) and I confess this had a few I was unfamiliar with. Now I just need to find the right people to share this with!
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
If I thought the Newbolds hit the height of fun art picture books with If Picasso Painted a Snowman, but they continued the brilliance with their newest If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur. What I love about the Newbolds’ books are that they are so beautifully done in both art and informational narrative, and it is done in a way that is entertaining and also teaches about some amazing artists. What surprised me about this newest is that there are even more truly abstract and modern art pieces, more than the first book, and the diversity of the artists represented were expanded to show the talent around the world and in different cultures. I can’t wait to see what they are going to do next!
Full review with Teaching Tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=18068
Full review with Teaching Tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=18068
left_unsupervised's review against another edition
4.0
Great illustrations and clever way to learn about art. I especially love the hamster and t-rex.
melaniegaum's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful representation of lots of artists I hadn't heard of
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
4.0
This hilarious book poses the question, What would it look like if various famous artists had painted dinosaurs? The results are dancing ballerina dinosaurs in the style of Degas, Dino Noodle Soup a la Andy Warhol, a Frida Kahlo dinosaur, dinos in Mary Cassatt's garden, jazz band dinosaurs in Aaron Douglas' style, and of course, the incomparable Dino Mona Lisa!
Throughout the story, a little hamster/gerbil artist appears on each page with a paintbrush, chalk, crayon, or scissors in hand... um... paw. He guides us through the various art styles, and discovers a new friend at the end of the book. His expressions are so cute, and he adds a little flair to the story!
There is a page at the end with the outline of an artist's easel where the reader can color their own artistic creation! It's little extras like that which make this book so special.
I really enjoyed looking through all the different art styles, and searching for details similar to the original famous paintings. It's really very clever to see how they have added volcanoes and Jurassic flora and fauna to the paintings. It made me laugh to see some of those funny details in the background!
At the end of the book, there are small one-paragraph bios of the different artists whose works are imitated. But I wish that the explanations of the different artists would include a small thumbnail of the original work of art, so that I could compare it to the dino version. I was also a little disappointed that most of the artists featured are modern artists, and the only classical artist mentioned is da Vinci. I wish there were a larger diversity in the eras of art represented. Still, it's a great way to learn about many different artists.
This is such an enjoyable book to read with children, and a delight to read aloud!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
Throughout the story, a little hamster/gerbil artist appears on each page with a paintbrush, chalk, crayon, or scissors in hand... um... paw. He guides us through the various art styles, and discovers a new friend at the end of the book. His expressions are so cute, and he adds a little flair to the story!
There is a page at the end with the outline of an artist's easel where the reader can color their own artistic creation! It's little extras like that which make this book so special.
I really enjoyed looking through all the different art styles, and searching for details similar to the original famous paintings. It's really very clever to see how they have added volcanoes and Jurassic flora and fauna to the paintings. It made me laugh to see some of those funny details in the background!
At the end of the book, there are small one-paragraph bios of the different artists whose works are imitated. But I wish that the explanations of the different artists would include a small thumbnail of the original work of art, so that I could compare it to the dino version. I was also a little disappointed that most of the artists featured are modern artists, and the only classical artist mentioned is da Vinci. I wish there were a larger diversity in the eras of art represented. Still, it's a great way to learn about many different artists.
This is such an enjoyable book to read with children, and a delight to read aloud!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
maidmarianlib's review
4.0
Love how it showcases different artists styles with something so familiar to kids, a great way to introduce other artists and to engage in making art.