This book is an excellent introduction to great artists, in which children can explore famous artworks in a fun and engaging manner. This title covers a lot of ground, encompassing roughly 200 years of art history and traversing several European countries. It includes works of arts from such famed artists as da Vinci, van Eyck, Vermeer, and Raphael, among others.

The narrative doesn't pull a full story together, but each page asks for the reader's participation in some fashion or another ("Can you find the dog?", "Can you tug your ear?"). Of course, a lot of the interactive calls also involve the touch-and-feel aspect of the book, inviting children to feel soft, scratchy, and shiny elements, among others.

The lack of a cohesive narrative - or even some rhymes to make the book more entertaining - meant this book was not my favorite of the Touch the Art series. Still, I did enjoy it and thought it was compelling enough. Also, when I read this book to my 3-year-old niece, she listened closely as I read the words aloud and she then carefully examined each touch-and-feel picture. It definitely held her attention, and I think it would be a hit in my toddler classroom as well.

The book ends with a brief paragraph about each artist represented in its pages, but this section seems to be geared more toward parents/caregivers who are interested in learning more than for the children themselves. I could see how this book would be helpful for parents who want to share their love of Renaissance art as well as for those who are about to bring/recently brought their children to an art museum - with the caveat of course that the children can touch the book but not the art! ( )

The mysterious Mona Lisa could use a little grooming—so go ahead and brush her long black hair! Continue with the Old Masters by touching the large, lacy collar of Frans Hals’ The Laughing Cavalier, petting the horse’s tail in Velazquez’s Prince Baltasar Carlos on Horseback, and arranging the snappy elastic hair in Boticcelli’s The Birth of Venus.