Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars (Smart About Art)

February 27, 2008 | By Doug In van Gogh |

Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars (Smart About Art)
“Brad” explores the ups and downs of van Gogh’s life and art in this colorful report, featuring Brad’s funny cartoons alongside reproductions of classic paintings like Starry Night.

Customer Review: The “Smart About…” series of books are wonderful
My 5, 6 and 8 yr old kids are entranced when I read them the Smart About Art books. After reading one, I came back to Amazon and ordered as many as I could.

They are written as a student would write a book report, but are humorous, touching and extremely informative with plenty of examples of the artists’ work. I attended Art School 20+ years ago and it was a refresher course for me as well. It includes background/personal info about the artist, but only as much as a child can comprehend and as it pertains to his art. These books have just the right amount of info on the artists and their work.

I wanted to share the world of art with my kids. Though my youngest two still use coloring books and my oldest reads chapter books without illustrations, these Smart About Art picture books are the perfect mix where they all can gain something from them–this series is neither too young nor too advanced.

After years of reading picture books, my kids often ask “can that really happen?” or “is that person real?” I wanted a break from the imaginative world of children’s lit and now I’m happy to finally answer “Yes, this person really existed, this really happened!” after reading the Smart About Art books.

Customer Review: Great intro to the artist
My five year old was so inspired reading this that she went to the basement and proceeded to make her own copies of his works. It is nice and simple, but with a decent amount of info and great pics.

Ever feel like lopping off an ear? Now you don’t have to! Your coffee cup can make the sacrafice for you! This heat-activated mug features a slightly altered version of Van Gogh’s self portrait… just add coffee or any hot liquid and watch his hear vanish! (Click for larger image to see it happen here before your eyes!)
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