I've tried to gather a modest little library of books about art in my classroom. If you're looking for some books to read to your child about art, or just looking for some great books to enjoy with your child, give these a try.
"Ish" by Peter Reynolds
Peter Reynolds is a fantastic author who writes mostly books about art. In this book, a boy loves to draw until a critical older brother makes him doubt himself. A great book promoting the idea that art doesn't have to look a certain way to be great.
"The Dot" by Peter Reynolds
In this book, Peter Reynolds tells the story of a girl who overcomes her I-can't-draw mentality with a dot. This book shows that hard work, exploration, and lots and lots and lots of practice equal success.
"Art and Max" by David Wiesner
Art is a rather stuffy, self-righteous artist who believes that art should be in one particular style. Max is an accident-prone, excited artist who turns Art's beliefs about painting upside down. Beautiful illustrations and a funny story line will get your kids laughing. And by the way, if you haven't read any of David Wiesner's books before, you'd better get to the library immediately and check some out! Besides "Art and Max", I especially love "Flotsam".
"The Iridescence of Birds" by Patricia MacLachlan
This book is about Henri Matisse, the great Fauvism artist, and his love of colors. It is a lovely portrait of what some of his childhood thoughts and ideas might have been. It does have a copy in it of his famous painting, "The Dance", which is of nude figures dancing.
"Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist" by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
This book is for junior high and high schoolers. And parents, for that matter. It is well written, comprehensive, and understandable. The authors do a great job helping the reader relate to Van Gogh. Van Gogh has always been one of my favorite artists. These writers do him great justice in this book.
Bonus: My favorite illustrated books (not necessarily about art)
"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak (super awesome surrealism)
"Squid and Octopus, Friends for Always" by Tao Nyeu
"Wonder Bear" by Tao Nyeu
"Mr. Tiger Goes Wild" by Peter Brown
"One Cool Friend" by Toni Buzzeo
Happy reading!