A "guide" to modern art ("guide" is in the subtitle) for pre-K, and not much older. Janson is a mouse who lives in a museum, and one day she wanders into the modern art section..."and her little world open[s]." "Mousterpiece" introduces (but doesn't name, except in the back matter) a good number (22!) of famous modern artists and techniques in a friendly way: Janson paints her own pictures in styles inspired by the art she sees ("in dots"=a portrait of a mouse, Seurat-style; "in squares, circles, triangles"=Picasso, etc). The very simple language describing movements and artists without naming them is really nice--it means the text doesn't get bogged down, instead focusing on Janson's joy in discovering all the different ways to make visual art (she develops her own style by the end!). The end notes are good jumping-off pieces to studying individual artists and movements. It's really informational text more than it is a story book. Zalben puts a survey of modern art into a simple narrative. She does not attempt to explain the pieces shown or to do interpretation. This was nice. The concept of styles is brought home with Zalben's own painting attributed to Janson, her main character. As a survey of art it's good just to look. If I were reading this with children, I'd want to have larger examples from many of these artists on hand. The list of artists at the end whose work Zalben drew on was helpful information. Generous white space draws attention to the 'paintings' on each page. It is hard to tell whether this was Zalben's work or the designer, Jennifer Browne's. The cutout cover was more likely Browne's work, and contributes to the concept of framing. But this also made it seem like the cutout was going to be an ongoing part of the book, like it is in so many books that use the cutout technique.
What do You think about Mousterpiece (2012)?
Through simple text, Janson, the resident mouse at the museum, offers an introduction to modern art.
—acm
This would be a great book to read before a library art program.
—didithilmy
Sweet and simple introduction to a love of art.
—AmandaGagne
Cute little introduction to modern art styles.
—Mel
