Customer Reviews
Great 
2007-12-10
These books are fabulous. I bought them for a 4 yr old girl, who hasn't seen them yet. I was debating between this and the Touch The Art series that has been featured on recent gift guides. My 9 yr old daughter and I liked Mini Masters much better. My daughter could not find the 'fun' in the Touch The Art books. And you can't beat the price.
Good books, but a couple of warnings 
2007-10-16
My 3 year old likes these books and can recognize paintings by each of the four artists in this set. She especially loves Monet. Each page contains a painting and a few lines of poetry that correspond to it.
I have two warnings for parents considering purchasing this set.
First, the authors list the names of the paintings at the back of each book in the order they appear in that book. At least that is what the authors claim. The list in the Van Gogh book, however, is out of order.
Second, and more important, the Matisse book has two paintings with nudes: Music, 1910 and Dance II, 1909-10. Parents might want to google these paintings to decide if they are appropriate for their family or at least to prepare to answer questions such as "Why are those people naked?"...a question my daughter posed to me.
These two issues would not have kept me from buying the set, but I wish I had known them before I read the books to my daughter.
Teach about fine art in a fun and enjoyable way. 2007-09-15
These are great books. We purchased our first book, Picnic with Monet when my daughter was a newborn. She is now 20 months old and she has the Mini Masters Boxed Set (a great deal) and Quiet Time With Cassat. She loves these books! She will bring them to me one-by-one and ask me to read each one over and over. I think she enjoys the lyrical quality of the text as well as the paintings. She loves pointing out the different items in each painting and commenting on what is taking place (playing, sleeping, dancing, etc.) It's interesting that even though some elements in certain paintings are rather abstract, she still knows what she is looking at. I love fine art and grew up seeing many of these paintings, so I'm glad that I can expose my daughter to the Masters in such a fun and positive way.
Great books for any age! 2007-06-18
My daughter is 2 1/2 and she LOVES her Van Gogh book. Brings it to me all the time to read to her. In all the books there is great rhyming, short phrasing (for similarly short attention spans--great for toddlers!), and beautiful paintings.
My personal favorites are Degas and Van Gogh. I was rather let down by the Monet; I thought they chose works that didn't represent what Monet did best and was best known for, but no kid is going to care about that. They actually work together to tell a story, which is nice compared to the more randomly chosen paintings in other of these books.
The Matisse has some crazy paintings in it but they are bright and boldly colored, sure to capture a kid's attention. (Some people have complained about the two "nudes" in the Matisse book, but realistically, the figures are not anatomically detailed and in my opinion, not at all offensive or embarrassing.)
I love these because they familiarize children with famous works of art and artists without them even knowing it and the writing/poetry in the books is fun to read and keeps my daughter reading along. Highly recommended, as well as the other individually sold books (Seurat, Cassatt, Picasso, & Renoir)!
Great board books for anyone 2007-05-17
Love the text and the images. Great introduction for any age child to get familiar with famous artwork. Both my 5 year old and my 2 year old enjoy them. The box set is also a great deal.
Mini Masters rate A+ 2008-05-20
Mini Masters board books are a fabulous way to introduce famous masterpieces of artwork to infants through eight year olds. I teach literacy skills to early childhood students and have found these books intriguing to Kindergarteners and 3rd graders alike. I have used them as a springboard to more indepth studies of Monet, Degas, and Van Gogh. They make wonderful baby shower and newborn gifts!
Worth the price, but wish they were bigger 2008-03-23
This is a great set for the money especially if you want to share art with your child. Some of these paintings I've seen in real life which is cool. I do wish the books were larger for easier viewing which is why I give them 4 stars only. I think my baby (8 months) would be more engaged if they were larger.
If you are buying individually, the Van Gogh and Matisse are bright and very eye-catching. The Monet is a bit murky and dark and the Degas similarly so although you gotta love the ballerinas. Of course, I prefer Van Gogh and Matisse anyway so maybe I am biased.
Mini Masters 2008-01-14
This is a wonderful set for young children. My sixteen-month-old granddaughter loves it. She especially likes the Matisse book and will ask for "Ti" specifically. She'll often leaf through the books by herself. The verses accompanying the pictures grab a child's attention and enhance this first introduction to great works of art.
Mini Masters is a unique collection of books and will be my first gift choice for children in the future.
Fantastic books!! 2008-01-07
These books are so beautiful!!! The art choices are wonderfully diverse, and a great way to introduce art to little ones. My daughter is always asking to read the "Van Gone" book, or the "tippy toe book" (Degas). The text is also just beautiful and poetic - so befitting of the art it describes. I am looking forward to purchasing more for my daughters. I would absolutely recommend these books .
We love mini masters! 2008-01-01
These board books are absolutely beautiful, with high-quality reproductions of art and a lovely layout as well. A variety of styles were chosen for each artist, so the Degas book features paintings and drawings and pastels, e.g. They are also fun to read -- the rhyming text is great, not campy or cliche.
My 2-year-old loves this set and calls them her "Bob books". (My older child is learning to read with Bob books and my little one always wants to play with them. Now she has her own!) My only regret is that I find the Matisse book not quite as good as the others, both in the art selection and the text. But I definitely recommend this set. I hope that someday they make a boxed set of the other Mini Masters board books, since we really enjoy having the cute storage box as well as the books!
