Art for Baby - Hardcover

The modern artists whose work appears in the book and the frieze include Josef Albers, Patrick Caulfield, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, Kazimir Malevich, Paul Morrison, Takashi Murakami, Julian Opie, Bridget Riley, and David Shrigley.

PreS—Child-development experts have long advocated the use of high-contrast images with infants due to the difficulties newborns have in changing focus from foreground to background. These bold, black-and-white selections were chosen to address this issue. The pictures range from Patrick Caufield's Duck, a silhouette, to Bridget Riley's Fragment 3, a dizzying series of zigzags. There are also several simplified portraits, e.g., Julian Opie's Natasha, whose stylized hair suggests the carved surfaces of a woodcut. The images are glossy and slightly reflective, while the white pages have a matte finish—another contrast. With a square trim size and heavy cardboard pages, the book could be enjoyed when propped on a changing table or crib or held by an adult. The last spread contains brief notes about infant vision, picture credits, and an envelope with 3 folded posters of the 12 scenes for nursery walls. Information about each artist has been placed on the back of the friezes. Libraries will want to consider whether these "consumables" are assets or deterrents, but babies won't care if they disappear. The variety of patterns offers an interesting alternative to the more traditional shapes found in Tana Hoban's classic Black and White (HarperCollins, 2007), now available in an accordion-fold format. Will young picture readers develop a greater open-mindedness toward abstract art? Time will tell.—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
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