Tell Me a Picture

by QuentinBlake (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $4.19

  In this text, Quentin Blake picks some of his favourite paintings and encourages everyone to look for the stories they tell. The author has chosen 26 paintings and drawings, all with stories in mind. The pictures are by very different artists: some are illustrators of children's books from across the world; others are by artists whose pictures are usually seen in art galleries. Quentin Blake's characters draw the reader in by introducing every image, pointing out details and asking question, allowing their imagination to create stories around the pictures.

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.25

  When Quentin Blake became Children's Laureate, one of his aims was to highlight the value and intelligence of children's books - and their illustrations. In Tell Me A Picturehe shows the quality of paintings made for children and links them to the wider world of fine art through their infinite capacity to tell stories: a pleasure we all understand.

  Here he chooses an alphabet of pictures with, as he explains, 'story in common'. Some are by illustrators, others are by artists whose pictures you usually see in art galleries. From them Quentin Blake shows how stories can be told around any picture. Throughout the book his characters complement the paintings, introducing each image, pointing out details and asking questions. By initially presenting only the pictures - without the distractions of any information beyond the artist's name - children are shown that they already have the skills to respond to the work of artists like Goya and Tintoretto.

  Quentin Blake and the National Gallery also suggest ways to have fun with children on gallery visits, and end the book with delightful, brief accounts of the artists and pictures Blake has chosen for his 'gallery'.