Artbracadabra: Discover The Magic Of Art

There's a particular kind of dread that comes with a child asking "what's perspective?" right as you're trying to get the dinner on. This book answers that one for you, with a spinning wheel, a pop-up, some genuinely clever inks and a flap to lift on practically every page, so the art lecture happens without you having to give it.

We love it because:

• It breaks art down into ten proper elements, the dot, the line, the shape, the material, the tools, the colour, volume, composition and perspective, but through poking, spinning and lifting rather than sitting still and listening.
• It's adapted from real short films shown at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, by working artist Raphael Garnier, so this is proper art education in fancy dress, not just a colouring book with ideas above its station.
• Every single page has something different to do with it, which means a child stays curious for the whole book rather than flicking to the end after page four.
• You'll come away able to actually explain composition at the dinner table, and nobody needs to know you learned it five minutes ago from the same book.

What's in the box:

• Art'bracadabra: Discover the Magic of Art (hardback)
• 52 pages, full colour illustrations throughout
• Interactive elements on every page, including pop-ups, a wheel, special inks, flaps and different textures

Great for:

• Children who are forever drawing on the walls (we don't judge, we just suggest paper) and want to know more about how art actually works
• A screen-free distraction at a café table, on a rainy afternoon, or any time a child needs something to do with their hands
• Building early art vocabulary and fine motor skills through lifting, spinning and exploring textures, rather than through a worksheet
• A gift for a budding artist, or any child who asks an alarming number of questions about how things are made

Important to know:

• Hardback, 25 x 21.5cm
• 52 pages, colour illustrations throughout
• Published 17/10/2024, ISBN 9781836270058