Generously illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs and reproductions, these books introduce the lives and work of their famous, fascinating, and controversial subjects. The over-designed pages--with text in different sizes, art, and tiny, difficult-to-read captions running up the sides of the pages--detract from each book's focus. A section of writings by (Van Gogh) or about (Gehry) each artist is appended. Timeline. Bib., ind.

BODDEN, Valerie . Vincent van Gogh . reprods. ISBN 978-1-58341-663-1 . LC 2007002118. RIGGS, Kate . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . photos. reprods. ISBN 978-1-58341-664-8 . LC 2007008963. ea vol: 48p. (Xtraordinary Artists Series). bibliog. chron. index. CIP. Creative Education . 2008. PLB $32.80. Gr 4-7 What's good here: interesting layouts; big, high-quality reproductions and photographs on heavy paper; insightful quotes from diverse sources; and meaty selections of the artist's own writing (in the case of Gehry, an excerpt from an essay about him) at the end of the book. Readers get a strong sense of each artist's personality along with an excellent survey of his work. What's bad: captions printed on the edge of the pages, oriented vertically so that children have to turn the book sideways to read them. And that's really a minor flaw. Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD