About The Book

Meet Art, an artistic little boy. It's his name and it's what he does. Art is a little boy who loves art. As Art sits on the page, he brings the book to life with his art. Whether he's making blotches, or splotches, zigs or zags, Art's art is fun and appealing. What a cute little guy, too!

When Art gets tired, he falls asleep among his art, only to find it hanging on the fridge when he awakes. Why? "Cause Mother loves Art."

In this sweet book, children will delight in Art. He is a likeable fellow, whose whole world comes to life in front of our eyes. Preschoolers love creating, and this skill should be embraced as much as possible. Share Art's love for art, and your kids will see the many wonderful sides of "art."

From The Reviewer

Although this book is a little shorter in word count, the pictures stand to tell a story on their own. The bright, solid images will keep even the shortest-termed listener involved and intrigued. Art's images are relatable to preschoolers because they look like art they have created. McDonnell has done an excellent job of portraying a true childlike artist!

The idea behind the book is a play on the words "art." The boy's name is Art and he enjoys doing art. It's extremely cute, but you might want to take time to talk about this with your preschooler. Or, better yet, you can ask your preschooler to explain to you: who is art, and where is his art?

This book is great for your little artist or for the preschooler that is at first unsure of his or herself. Try following up with this book by letting your preschooler put his or her imagination on the page. Art is a fun book, which helps embrace the little artist within us all!

Book Details

Title: Art

Reading level: Ages 4 - 8

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 12, 2006)

Language: English

ISBN: 031611491X

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Children's book awards (Caldecott, Newbery, Theodor Seuss Geisel) reliably identify books of exceptional quality. Award winners are worth seeking out as a starting point for selection.

• Children's picture books are not dumbed-down literature — the best ones (Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte's Web, Goodnight Moon) reward re-reading across decades.

• Re-reading a favorite book 50 times delivers more comprehension depth, vocabulary retention, and emotional resonance than reading 50 different books once each.

• Read books slightly above the child's current comprehension level — this is where vocabulary growth and comprehension development occur. Comfortable books feel good; challenging books expand capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books should I read to my preschooler per day?

The volume is less important than the consistency. Even one book per day, read with engagement and followed by brief conversation, delivers significant developmental benefit. Many families read 3–5 books at bedtime plus additional books throughout the day — this is excellent and associated with the strongest reading outcomes. If you can only manage one daily reading session, make it consistent, engaged, and joyful rather than perfunctory.

When should I switch from picture books to chapter books?

Chapter books don't replace picture books — they extend the reading menu. Most children enjoy having a chapter book read aloud starting around age 4–5, even before they can read independently. Picture books remain appropriate through childhood (and adulthood — they're literature, not a developmental stage to be exited). When introducing chapter books: choose ones with short chapters, interesting characters, and immediate plot engagement. The Magic Tree House, Frog and Toad, and Flat Stanley series are reliable first chapter book series.

Related reading: See also our vocabulary building guide and our nursery rhymes and literacy guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🖼️ Visual Literacy — Reading pictures — interpreting what they show, what details they add, how they relate to the words — develops visual literacy: the ability to extract meaning from images that underlies comprehension of graphs, diagrams, and media.
• 🎭 Dramatic Expression — Hearing books read aloud with expression — character voices, varied pacing, dramatic pauses — models the prosody and emotional range of language that children internalize and bring to their own reading and speaking.
• 📖 Pre-Reading Foundations — Handling books, tracking print left to right, hearing stories, and connecting spoken words to written text directly builds the print awareness and phonological knowledge that formal reading instruction builds on.
• 👂 Listening Comprehension — Following a story — keeping track of characters, events, and cause-effect relationships — builds the listening comprehension that transfers directly to reading comprehension once children decode independently.

Art

Written by Patrick McDonnell

From The Book

"Art draws and draws till he flops in a heap and among his creations he falls fast asleep..." "...And when he awakes (a little bit later) Art sees his art on the refrigerator."