Loved it. Bringing fine art to the young child's mind is fantastic. I learned a lot too! I want a sequel!

this is fun for all ages and poses plenty of challenges for the search committee. It is a good lesson in compare and contrast.

Art Detective: Spot the Difference is a fantastic way to expose your young child to famous works of art. On the initial pages we meet Charlie the Sleuth, a dog who has been charged with the task of finding an art forger. In order to unmask the forger, he must find the mistakes in his pictures. We then get the opportunity to see 19 different classic works of art, each side by side with its "forgery". Kids must then find the differences. Charlie drops in to offer up comments and to let us know how many differences can be found. This is an incredibly fun exercise in observation and one that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of ages. If you are looking for a more enriching alternative to Marzollo's I Spy series, this is certainly it. Some of the differences will be easily observed, while others will take some time and careful review.

I admired the choices presented, as they represent a wide variety of artists and styles. We see paintings by Seurat, Rousseau, Gauguin, Monet, Cezanne, John Singer Sargent, and Van Gogh, just to name a few. If you are unable to observe all the differences, no worries because the author has kindly included an answer key in the back which also features some facts about each artist. This is a must have for any young art lover or any parent wishing to encourage a love of art in their child. Best suited for older preschoolers and school age children, this would be a welcome addition to any classroom collection. A fun first art experience, especially if you are preparing for a trip to an art museum.

I like this book, but I think that the answer key could be improved. In the answer key, each individual change (in the forgery) is noted with an "X" on a copy of the painting. There are instances where I could not figure out what change the "X" was indicating (in part because the paintings in the answer key are small.) On the occasions that this happens, I had been unable to find the change before checking the answer key. I have seen a different (and more useful) answer key in another series which, like this book, compares a painting to a similar painting with various changes. In the successful answer key, the changes are shown in two ways: the changes are circled in a replica of the changed painting. Additionally, each change is explained in words. The explanation in words clarifies any possible lack of clarity.

Saw this book in the library of the Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, Arkansas. It's a great version of and "I Spy" type of book, just a little more sophisticated. I purchased it as a gift for a young girl but I know her parents and grandmother will enjoy looking at it with her as well.

Good teaching tool for teen girls and younger girls.

This book is not a regular book with a story. It is more like a puzzle book, except it is really hard. There are pictures from famous artists, and there are "forged" pictures to compare them to. For example, let's say a persons hair in the real picture had a headband and it was red with an amethyst on it but the headband in the forged picture was red but with a garnet on it. That would count as a difference. As you get through one set of pictures, the next set is harder and harder.

I liked that the pictures are mostly from famous artists, because now I know their names. I especially liked the "Birds" by Franz Marc because it is a colorful collage of animals. It is hard though because you have to find 20 small differences!

I would suggest this book to be good for second graders and up. Even my big sister (3rd grade) has trouble finding the differences. Artist kids would probably like it best, and they could even get new ideas from the picture styles.

It was really hard, there are not many words, but it is a fun book to do with my parents and sister because it is hard for them too.

Review by Lucy H., age 6, Tampa Bay Mensa

Es un libro precioso, las ilustraciones son de calidad y es fantástico para acercar a los niños al mundo del arte y al mismo tiempo jugar con ellos.

Fab book for close observation work with children - great to introduce important artists and the differences in the two paintings are challenging enough to interest a wide age range.

Lovely book, great activity but also fab for learning about different art.