Start teaching about art early

Parents of young readers often screen children’s stories to make sure the content is appropriate to the age of the reader, that the plot is well-written and that the text teaches something about language use. But what about the drawings? How many parents ask themselves: Is this the best picture for imagining a snowy day, a playroom of wild nighttime ghouls, or an environmentalist who claims to “speak for the trees”?

Education specialists tell us that early exposure to books can increase not only a love of reading but language skills, too. So why not take the same approach to art literacy? If a young child is exposed to excellent images with strong aesthetics, authentic cultural symbols or even examples of graphic innovation, the experience is just as likely to open important doors to a lifetime of art appreciation.

The best place to start with any of this is at home or at your public library, where trained children’s librarians can make suggestions for examples of fine art in the genre. You also can look for the Caldecott Medal label as a good indicator of children’s art that experts have determined to be among the best. Each year, the American Library Association awards a Caldecott to an American artist of a children’s picture book. Virginia Lee Burton, Robert McCloskey, Barbara Cooney, Ezra Jack Keats, Maurice Sendak and Chris Van Allsburg all have been recipients. It’s worth noting that McCloskey and Cooney both had ties to Maine. But check out the list online or at the library: It’s updated every year with a brilliant new contribution to the distinguished group.

But don’t stop there. Increasingly, art exhibitors such as the Courthouse Gallery in Ellsworth and the Island Institute in Rockland, where works by children’s book illustrator Loretta Krupinski are on view through June 23, are providing other ways to view fine art intended for children’s eyes. Taking your little ones there to see illustrations from best-loved and new books can instill both a fascination with viewing art outside of books and a love of gallery going, a habit important to develop early in life.

“My first impressions about art were through books,” said Stephen Costanza, author and illustrator of the picture book “Mozart Finds a Melody,” included in the Courthouse exhibition. “I hope that books lead children not only to the appreciation of art, but to an appreciation for all things beautiful, including the natural world. A lot of artists have a lot to share. I focus on sharing what I love. When you do that, you can’t help but reach people.”

And reach them for life.

If your child begins to feel at home in art spaces as a young person, he or she will easily graduate to museums and to a natural sense that art is not only a worthy pursuit but an integral part of everyday life.