Katie and her grandma often went to the gallery on their days out together.
Grandma liked to tell Katie all about the famous paintings.
"Which picture do you like best?" asked Grandma.
"Mona Lisa," said Katie. "She smiled at me."
I read this book, Katie and The Mona Lisa by James Mayhew with Amaris yesterday. Amaris flipped through the pages days before and told me she didn't want to read this. She doesn't quite like the idea that Mona Lisa is always gazing at her, although with a smile, she thinks it is scary!
So I suggested let's do an adventure today. This time, with Mona Lisa just like we did last time with Alice in Wonderland. Amaris quite liked this idea.
So we started the adventure with Katie and Amaris climbing over the frame of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, meeting this lady from 1500.
Mona Lisa is sitting in a grand room. Although smiling, she doesn't feel happy at all. Very lonely indeed. So Katie has this idea of bringing Mona Lisa around the gallery to meeting anyone she likes in the paintings.
They went through the frame of Saint George and the Dragon by Raphael. With Saint George, the Knight rescuing a beautiful princess from a fire-breathing dragon
They met The Lion of Saint Mark by Vittore Carpaccio, flying over Venice.
And An Angel with a Lute painted by a student of Leonardo da Vinci at last.
It was an exciting adventure with wild imagination!
If you'd like your children to explore the paintings during the Renaissance, this is the book for you. This is good for children at all ages, even parents.
Learning through story-telling makes everything easier to remember and enjoyable.
I have included some links if you'd like to know more about each painting and painter's history and background.
Happy Summer AND Happy Reading!
James Mayhew has a Katie adventure series, bringing classic art to life for children. For more info, you may refer to Book Depository which offers free shipping worldwide.
