Adventures in Asian Art: An Afternoon at the Museum

In Adventures in Asian Art: An Afternoon at the Museum, we follow a girl and her brother as they explore fifty-three pieces of art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The author and illustrator cleverly work in how the children interact with each art piece shown. They meditate with the Budda, they ride rhinos, they wear samurai warrior suits of armor. The story is written in simple, up-beat rhyme, blending the art with the child’s imagination:

“You’ll dance with the Sky-walker
And clear the path ahead.
You’ll carry the fire of wisdom
Through the hair upon your head.”

Juxtaposing the rhymes with the art, the child can put together the references to each. Each page invites the youngest into the fun and imagination of the artwork while showing the actual art piece itself. Art pieces includes kimonos, statutes, puppets, paintings, and more from centuries ago to modern times. Unlike traditional museum art books, this book is abundant with up-beat energy and kid-like fun on every page to draw in young readers.