School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-8-Each book features full-color reproductions of six major paintings representative of the titular themes and encourages kids to engage fully with the images, the stories behind them, and ways of interpreting them. Readers are asked to look closely to discover important details, examine the artists' decisions, read further to learn about what inspired the artwork, and look at other paintings to compare and contrast them. Although the texts address readers directly, these titles will probably be more useful for teachers, librarians, and parents because of the questions and activities included. They provide the basis for lesson plans on general art appreciation as well as preparation for field trips to museums, and could be used to stimulate classroom discussion, as well. All of the paintings in Myths depict events in classical Greek and Roman mythology, while those in Grisly & Gruesome include religious, mythological, and historical subjects, from Saint Michael's defeat of the devil to Judith beheading Holofernes to Lady Jane Grey's execution. Each volume includes a decent glossary and good (but perhaps extraneous for such brief works) index. Useful titles where similar books, such as the Looking at Art set (Grolier, 1996) and Helen Williams's Stories in Art (Houghton, 1992), are popular.-Sophie R. Brookover, Camden County Library, Voorhees, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.