Why Your Five Year Old Could Not Have Done That by Susie Hodge

I did a double take when I first read this title, thinking off-handedly that it was a teaching book and that I wouldn't be interested in reading it. Then I looked at it again and realised that this was a book about modern art.

A couple of flicks through the pages, I realised this was talking about art that I had studied about at school.

And then I read the title once again and laughed.

If there is one thing that is hard as an art student, it is to explain the relevance of modern art to those that have never studied it. Now I have the perfect title to recommend.

Why Your Five Year Old Could Not Have Done That is a refreshing approach to the world of modern art, disregarding the complicated jargon and attempting to explain the stories, reasons and approaches to the pieces that people so frequently allude a child being capable of creating.

The introduction explains the beginnings of art teaching; how the perception of how art is viewed has changed, and that the artists featured in the book were taking risks and being more creative than their predecessors had been. Each piece has a double paged spread, and each piece has a short explanation as to why a child could not have created the work. The quality of the images are good and the writing eye-catching and colourful, and it made for a fascinating read overall.

This book is really innovative and I have enjoyed seeing this book branch out and help to draw people into the world of art who were previously discouraged by their preconceptions.

Art is an important part of society after all.

This book was published by Thames and Hudon and is available to buy for £9.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.