LUNA LOVES ART – A Friendship Field Trip Story for Art lovers

It seems like it has been a long time since I’ve been to an art museum. I drove by the Norton Simon Museum yesterday and was sad to see it closed. Fortunately, I read a new book set in an art gallery and had fun exploring the art within the pages.

LUNA LOVES ART

By Joseph Coehlo (author) and Fiona Lumbers (illustrator)
Kane Miller 2020
Picture book ages 4-8
Setting: an art gallery
Themes: friendship, anger, art

The story begins –

Luna Loves Art.
Today she is going on a school trip.
School trip backpack – check!
School trip lunch box – check!
School trip instant camera – click!

 

Luna is thrilled and excited to be going on a field trip, especially with her mom along as a chaperone. But a boy named Finn is alone.
The children are amazed by the art in the huge rooms and even have the opportunity to sketch pictures based on the art they see. When Finn tries to touch a painting, Luna reminds him that touching isn’t allowed. Angrily, Finn rips up Luna’s sketch.

It is obvious that Finn is struggling. He roars at the tiger in a painting and says that the tiger is scared and alone and needs a home. He sees a sculpture of a family and he says “families don’t look like that.” Fortunately, Luna finds a way to forgive, understand, and become friends with Finn.

 

Why you will want to add LUNA LOVES ART to your book shelf:

• We all need Field Trips and this story lets us tag along with a class and experience their fascination as they experience art.
• They illustrations are glorious. Not only is Luna biracial, but her classmates are a multiethnic and diverse group of children and include a student in a wheelchair.
• The story features work by well-known artists including Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse, and Warhol.
• Children experience strong emotions and Luna and Finn discover how to overcome their disagreements and forge a friendship.
• LUNA LOVES ART will inspire budding artists.
• This quote from the book:

“Some families look like that, some do not.
Some families are related, some are not.
Some families are together, some are apart,
There are lots of different families like all this different art.”

 

Here is a link to the publisher’s full size LUNA LOVES ART coloring pages.