(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Just across the street from the Horn Book office sits the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, whose story is at least as interesting as its idiosyncratic collection. Cannily, Fleming (Honeybee, rev. 3/20; Cubs in the Tub, rev. 9/20) and Cordell (Hello, Neighbor!, rev. 5/20; Bear Island, rev. 3/21) begin this picture-book biography with a mystery: "On a tree-lined street in Boston, in an old mansion, at the top of the stairs, in a second-floor room, empty frames hang, waiting..." Throughout, author and illustrator find just those details about Gardner ("who wore baseball gear to the symphony"), her unusual museum (where she would follow visitors around, shouting "Don't touch! Don't touch!"), and the famous theft ("Private detectives searched. They are still searching") that will engage readers who might have otherwise found the subject stuffy. The text is clipped and clear; the line and watercolor illustrations have a raffish edge that suits the boho Isabella. Preceding an appended bibliography and source notes, a comprehensive endnote mentions both Gardner's sometimes unscrupulous acquisition methods and the ten-million-dollar reward still on offer for solving the 1990 robbery.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Breckenreid. This picture book biography describes how Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, a librarian and a postal clerk, assembled an enormous art collection in their New York City apartment, then donated it to the National Gallery of Art. The mid-century-style illustrations convey the movement and energy of life in the 1960s; they also depict the Vogels' home, crowded with artwork, animals, and (famous) friends. Throughout, look for the many nods to notable creators and pieces of art from the time. An appended spread includes definitions of relevant artistic movements (e.g., "conceptual art"; "minimalism") and notes from the author, illustrator, and Dorothy Vogel herself.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(1) K-3 In this big, noisy world, a museum, even if it's only in one's imagination, is a place of quiet contemplation. With this absorbing and original picture book, Perkins offers a special sanctuary for curious and creative dreamers, a space to think about, explore, and possibly curate a few collections of their own. No exhibit or artifact is too small or ephemeral to be included. The unnamed child narrator considers establishing a Museum of Hiding Places; a museum made up exclusively of shadows; and, of course, a Sky Museum, which is open all the time, with exhibits that change daily. The child envisions a Museum of Bushes, complete with an interactive exhibit--a roomful of "bushskirts" for visitors to try on and twirl in. Other intriguing installations include a model of "an island in a pond on an island in a pond on an island in a pond on an island in a pond" and a Museum of Little Things (a.k.a. a windowsill), with found treasures to look at one at a time, or all together. The book features Perkins's vibrantly colored (and beautifully displayed) 3-D art, shadow boxes, dioramas, and miniature displays, complete with curtained backdrops and prosceniums. Many of the pages include photographic elements and realistic detail, with dashes of whimsy and creative flair to match the child's inventive musings. A perfect lead-in to a museum visit or a STEAM-based contemplation titled the "Museum of Things I Wonder About."

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) 4-6 Narrator Julieta Leal--smart, curious, and prone to causing unintentional trouble--is thrilled to be accompanying her dad, an art handler at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, on a trip to Paris to collect some pieces from the Louvre on loan for a new exhibit. At first, Julieta enjoys visiting Parisian landmarks and (not) eating escargot; she also accompanies her dad on his work, giving readers intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpses of famous museums and palaces. But when the Louvre's Regent Diamond is stolen, Julieta and her father are the prime suspects. Now Julieta needs to catch the thief and clear their names so they can make it home in time for the birth of her baby brother. Julieta's dad is "honestly surprised at the amount of havoc a nine-year-old can cause in less than a week," but ultimately it's Julieta's eye for detail, love of Greek mythology, and tendency to act on impulse that save the day. Julieta and her family are Mexican American ("the J in Julieta sounds like the hooting of an owl. Like whoooo-lieta"), and she is bilingual in English and Spanish (and even learns a little French). Readers of this debut author's entertaining middle-grade mystery will appreciate the back matter, which includes a glossary and more information about the Regent Diamond and other works of art mentioned in the book, complete with photographs.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brittany Jackson. Preschooler Parker visits the National Portrait Gallery and is entranced by Amy Sherald's painting of First Lady Michelle Obama. The brief text (co-written by Parker and her mother) and cartoony but personality-rich illustrations capture the girl's exuberance while exploring the gallery and then her awe of the portrait. "'She is a queen,' Parker whispered." A joyous and empowering picture book, based on a viral 2018 photograph.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) 4-6 This weighty compendium is lavishly illustrated with art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. With entries by such stalwarts as Louisa May Alcott (paired with James Jebusa Shannon's and Abraham Rademaker's paintings) and Clement Clark Moore (Arthur Rackham's art), the volume has decidedly old-fashioned appeal. Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye, Alma Flor Ada, Lee Bennett Hopkins, and others (and a few recipes) add a touch of modern sensibility. Ind.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 1-3 Ana & Andrew series. Illustrated by Sharon Sordo. In each of these short chapter books, siblings Ana and Andrew enjoy family and learn a bit about their history. With extended family, they visit the National Museum of African American History, celebrate Carnival, make snow cream, and visit their grandparents in Savannah, Georgia. The books feature breezy dialogue, text-supporting illustrations, and informative if not in-depth storytelling. Review covers these Ana & Andrew titles: Dancing at Carnival, A Day at the Museum, A Snowy Day, and Summer in Savannah

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Steve Björkman. Twitch the squirrel returns in his third book, this time wreaking havoc at the science museum. On the advice of science-savvy classroom geckos, Twitch stows away on a field-trip bus. Once at the museum, he faces dangers such as animatronic dinosaurs, a revolving postcard display rack, a remote-control Mars Rover model, a Foucault pendulum, and more--with hilarious results. Plentiful black-and-white illustrations depict the mayhem.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Born in the U.S. but raised mostly in France, savvy, sophisticated aspiring spy Jada Sly moves to NYC so her affluent African American father can reopen the family art museum. Jada denies that her mother died in a mysterious accident and enlists new friends to investigate her mother's whereabouts. A strong first-person narrative referencing many famous visual artists and their works overcomes a few unrealistic plot twists.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) 1-3 Translated by Sophie B. Watson. Illustrated by France Cormier. A boy and his elephant friend spend a rainy morning in a museum, where--rather than damaging art as the guard expects--they foil a robbery. This short book (translated from the French) has plenty of fun. Everything in the illustrations is just a little off-kilter, and much of the humor comes from the juxtaposition of the deadpan text with the slightly exaggerated art.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Published with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Looking at a work of art can produce a range of emotions and reactions," writes editor Hopkins in the introduction to this book of commissioned poems, each reacting to a work of art from the Met. A laudable diversity of poets and artists (bios appended)--as well as a range of poetic and artistic styles--are represented in this handsome volume for middle graders and up. Ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Hannah, the daughter of the present-day caretaker of The Elms museum, swaps lives with Maggie, a wealthy teen who summered at the Newport mansion in 1905. The girls alternate narration as they describe their new circumstances and stop a historic art theft. Stilted dialogue, excessive pop-culture references, and a heavy-handed girl-power message weigh down the otherwise compelling mystery in this Freaky Friday/time-travel mash-up.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Pandava series. Twelve-year-old Aru knew she shouldn't light the Lamp of Bharata just to show off to her schoolmates, but she never expected to rouse a demon bent on awakening the God of Destruction. Now she must save her museum-curator mother and, well, everyone else. Witty humor and quick pacing carry readers through the Kingdom of Death in this series-starting fantasy rooted in Hindu mythology. Glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(1) K-3 In Colón's wordless love letter to the experience of visiting an art museum, a brown-skinned boy skateboards to Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art. Figures from paintings cavort with him throughout NYC, after which the boy's new friends return to their canvases and he creates a mural of their likenesses in his Brooklyn neighborhood. Colón's mixed-media illustrations in his signature stippled and crosshatched textures hum with energy and jubilation.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matte Stephens. This appealing fictionalized biography introduces American wildlife artist Charles R. Knight from his young granddaughter Rhoda's perspective. They meet at the American Museum of Natural History to view his work--some of the first paintings, based only on fossil remains, to depict prehistoric animals--then visit the Central Park Zoo and have tea at the Plaza Hotel. Stephens's playful, quirky gouache illustrations incorporate some of Knight's actual art. Bib.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by T. S. Spookytooth. In this amusing and informative science picture book, children visiting a natural history museum compare human and dinosaur skeletons: the similarities, then the unique structures that identify species such as stegosaurus (back plates) and diplodocus (many vertebrae). The children--humorously illustrated with dino features--imagine what it would be like to fly, stomp, and chomp like a dinosaur. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Sargent Singer aspires to be an artist like his famous namesake. When his estranged gallery-director father invites Sargent for a summer visit, Sargent discovers that figures in the gallery's paintings can interact with one another--and with him. Full-color art reproductions may inspire art-history buffs, though explanations of art terms and history somewhat bog down a mystery plot involving art theft.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. On a school trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy, who loves science and dinosaurs, is silenced when her male classmate scoffs, "Girls aren't scientists." With support from teacher Mr. Tiffin and plenty of inspiring evidence to the contrary, Kimmy finds her voice. In Karas's friendly gouache and pencil illustrations, the class wanders grand halls and awe-inspiring fossil displays as the drama unfolds.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old Klee, an aspiring artist who loved visiting art museums with his dad, is devastated after his father's suicide and a subsequent move to the suburbs. Narrated in the wake of a mental break that lands Klee in an adolescent psychiatric facility, this thoughtful novel de-stigmatizes mental illness with its sensitive portrait of a memorable young man.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Nineteenth-century, museum-quality handicrafts including a globe, a butter churn, a sled, and a weather vane inspire these fourteen lyrical stories--some totally fiction, some based on fact--of the objects' creators and users. Folksy gouache illustrations reflect the historic period and many of the tools the makers employed to carve, quilt, paint, embroider, or otherwise craft each item. Small photos and museum catalog information appended.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges