Vincent’s Starry Night, and Other Stories: A Children’s History of Art
Written by Michael Bird
Illustrated by Kate Evans
Laurence King Publishing   8/23/2016
978-1-7806-7615-9
336 pages    Ages 8—12

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“An enthralling journey through 40,000 years of art, from prehistoric cave paintings right up to the present day. Discover artists and their art around the world, in exciting and imaginative tales about artists and the way they created their work. Written by educator and art historian Michael Bird, and illustrated by Kate Evans, the book also features reproductions of the famous artworks discussed, a comprehensive timeline of events, and extra feature spreads on places connected with art. This is a beautiful and engaging introduction to art for any home or school library.” [INSIDE JACKET]

Review
Vincent’s Starry Night takes kids through art history from the time of cavemen to the year 2010. That is a lot of art history to bring together into one book. Told through 68 stories based on artists real lives. No matter how told, all 68 stories (each two to four pages), are enthralling. Kids will learn how artists lived and worked through each era. They will learn how the social and political pressures of the time influenced artists and their work. Over 5 dozen artists are included, such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Frida Kahlo, and, of course, Vincent Van Gogh.
Vincent’s Starry Night is fascinating pure and simple. Saying it is an art history book for children makes it sound like a textbook, but if all textbooks were as well-written and illustrated as Vincent’s Starry Night, few students would become distracted. The very first sentence tells us man has been around for approximately 200,000 years. The second sentence tells us humans have only been creating art for the last 50,000 of those years. That is amazing! And there are hundreds more sentences in Vincent’s Starry Night left to read.
Teachers and homeschoolers will love this art history book for kids. Vincent’s Starry Night gives children a straightforward, interesting book from which to learn about those people who influenced the art they see and learn about in textbooks and museums.

Readers can start at page one and read straight through, progressing as the years progress, or open the book at any page and read that story and then pick another at ransom. However one reads Vincent’s Starry Night, it is fascinating reading and difficult to put down.
Back matter includes a time line, maps, glossary, an index of art seen in the book, and a traditional index.

VINCENT’S STARRY NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES: A CHILDREN’S HISTORY OF ART. Text copyright © 2016 by Michael Bird. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Kate Evans. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Laurence King Publishing and distributed by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

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Reprinted with permission from VINCENT’S STARRY NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES: A CHILDREN’S HISTORY OF ART © 2016 by Michael Bird, Laurence King Publishing. Illustrations © 2016 by Kate Evans.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Vincent’s Starry Night and Other Stories: A Children’s History of Art
Written by Michael Bird
Illustrated by Kate Evans
Laurence King Publishing 8/23/2016
9781780676159