'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Tuesday 26 June 2018

Review: Up, Down & Other Opposites

Up, Down & Other Opposites with Ellsworth Kelly is a concept board book that uses abstract artworks to introduce and illustrate the ideas of  length, position, direction, colour and much more.

This book is not a simple book of opposite words. It encourages the young reader to explore concepts through statements, questions -- 'Is Red on TOP or on the BOTTOM? And how about here? (It's the opposite!)' -- or using their finger to trace lines and movement like; straight/curvy and up/down.

These basic concepts will be used by your littlies at school during lessons of maths, science, writing and the arts.

Carers may like to extend how littlies use the concepts explored in Up, Down & Other Opposites. Kelly's abstract paintings were inspired by what he saw in the environment, 'like the light and dark ripples made by water.' Like Kelly, children could to use the language of the concepts to describe what they see around them in the real world and then use it to create their own abstract paintings inspired by their environment.

For the very inquisitive, the book also provides information about Kelly and lists his artworks that are featured to illustrate the concepts.

Up, Down & Other Opposites is part the First Concepts with Fine Artists series where other concepts are explored using paintings by the artists Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Josef Albers. To find out more about the concept book that features the art of Josef Albers see the KBR review for Squares and Other Shapes 

Title: Up, Down & Other Opposites
Illustrator: Ellsworth Kelly
Publisher: Phaidon Press, $14.95
Publication Date: 27 February 2018
Format: Board Book
ISBN: 9780714876290
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Board Books