I’ve been a member of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco since before their move to the old public library in SF. It’s been a membership I’ve enjoyed greatly, and something that I happily share with my daughter. She’s now 11, and getting to be a bit old for this latest book review, “Adventures in Asian Art: An Afternoon at the Museum” by Sue DiCicco. This book is probably best suited for kids ages 3 to 10.
The book walks through 53 exhibits that a child might see in a visit of the Asian Art Museum (which houses over 18,000 artifacts) and would make a great companion piece for a child’s first visit. The collection of art described by the book covers a wide range of countries, including China, Japan, Korea, India, and more.
The book also includes more a little more detail on each of the featured pieces of art at the beginning and end of the book, so the more curious children (or even adults) can find out the date, size (important because many of the pieces are not drawn to scale in the book), description, location and name of the actual piece.
The inclusion of the “Ritual vessel in the shape of a rhinoceros” is a nice touch, since it ties in nicely with the Asian Art Museum’s own “Rhino Club“, an additional optional membership for members’ kids to get invited to special events and programs just for children.
Even if you’re not planning on visiting the Asian Art Museum in SF, and instead are planning a visit to say the Asian wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, this book will give a first time child visitor a nice glimpse of what to expect and how to use their imagination when they see a piece of art at the museum.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Disgusted
- Sad
- Angry
