Paul Klee by Mike Venezia

This is but one book in a series of eleven about famous artists. Author/illustrator Mike Venezia gives a brief but descriptive history of Paul Klee known for his eclectic painting techniques. The book gives simple explanations about Klee's artistic style, methods and materials. The book features photos of some of Klee's most famous works such as The Goldfish, Ad Parnassum, Around the Fish, Twitering Machine, Carnival in the Mountains, and Flowers in Stone. There is also mention of some of his contemporaries such Wassily Kandinsky, August Macke and Franz Marc with pictures of their works. Venezia's cartoon like illustrations are very quirky and colourful. This is a painless and perfect start to introducing students to Paul Klee.

Alvin's Famous No-Horse by William Harry Harding

Alvin is hung up about school; he's really worried about the art exhibit his teacher is planning to hold for the parents. You see Alvin can play ball, he's a great speller and has good friends, but he can't draw. Every child in the class is expected to submit a drawing by the end of the week and his horse is more like "a blob of brown Jell-O." And what's Jell-O an Australian reader might well ask? Well, it is the brand name of a dessert a bit like jelly which is sold prepared or in powder form. The book revolves around that week at school and the strategies Simon tries in order to produce an adequate drawing. The book is a bit slow, but middle primary students might like it.