“Lets’s get art: children look at contemporary New Zealand art” by Brad Irwin

The question behind the theme of this book is aimed at children – “What is contemporary art?” The narrative follows the experience of four children as they visit a gallery exhibition of contemporary New Zealand art.
The author uses the comments of actual school children to engender a discussion about what is the nature of a subject that is a difficult one for adults let alone children. A range of different artists working in a diverse range of media is represented, but there is no attempt here to analyse the works and give a context for them or give any background information about the artists. The art is merely used to illustrate the point being made. The conclusion is a little too concise and I feel a brief comparison with previous art styles might have been more illuminating for those new to the topic.
The book is attractively presented and could be well used in the classroom to instigate a debate. Recommended for a reading age of 8yrs to 12yrs old.

Reviewed by Suzanne Hardy

http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/. ISBN 978 186979 0486