ALA Booklist (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

The latest volume in the 13 . . . Children Should Know art-history series has a teaser of a title. The 13 varied mysteries inside are arranged chronologically, with an ongoing visual time line marking significant dates along the way. The first section asks, "Where is the Ark of the Covenant?" and discusses the chest and its history, illustrated in an altar painting, an illuminated manuscript, a choir-stall carving, and a Raphael painting. Wenzel also explores topics such as Mona Lisa's smile, Vermeer's possible use of a camera obscura, the king of Prussia's Amber Room, Van Gogh's ear, the puzzles inherent in surrealist paintings, and the identity of Banksy, a contemporary English graffiti artist. While not always mysteries in the traditional sense and sometimes oddly titled ("To Whom Did van Gogh Give His Ear?"), the questions offer entry points into aspects of European art and encourage readers to look closely at the illustrations. Handsomely designed, the book features high-quality reproductions of all the featured works.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

These large-format volumes provide engaging introductions to the art world. Photos includes both color and black-and-white images from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mysteries raises such questions as "Why Is Mona Lisa Smiling?" and "To Whom Did van Gogh Give His Ear?" Sidebars, quiz questions, and brief information about the artists are included to enhance readers' curiosity and creativity. Timeline. Glos.

School Library Journal (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Gr 4-8 This smorgasbord of mysteries is presented in chronological order beginning with the Ark of the Covenant at the time of Moses to the present-day graffiti painter known as Banksy. Some of them pose personal questions about specific artists such as to whom van Gogh gave his ear or how Caravaggio died. Others focus on a particular work of art such as Mona Lisa 's smile or Goya's portrayal of the Spanish royal family. Styles of painting include surrealism and the works of Bosch, van Eyck, and Vermeer. There are quizzes, activity suggestions, time lines, sidebars, and brief text explaining why these questions are considered mysteries. Excellent-quality reproductions appear throughout. This is definitely a different approach for introducing young people to various aspects of art history. Readers can pick and choose those chapters that sound interesting to them but would need to find additional information elsewhere for reports. The illustrations are well chosen to support these succinct inquiries into some perplexing puzzlements from the world of art. Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA