About the Holiday

Today is a day when we can show our museum curators and government representatives how much we value museums. Museums are vital parts of our communities and economy. Did you know that more than 850 million people visit American museums every year? This is more than the number of visitors to all major-league sporting events and theme parks combined. Museums across the country employ more than 726, 000 workers and contribute $50 billion to the economy. While museums enjoy overwhelming support among people, advocacy is needed to ensure that museums continue to receive funding and governmental protections so that they can continue to grow while  preserving and teaching about our history, culture, and scientific achievements. Show your support for museum funding by contacting your city and state representatives and by visiting and/or donating to your favorite museum!

The Museum

Written by Susan Verde | Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

A lanky young girl enters an art museum and goes right up to an abstract painting of sunlight yellow circles. She says, “When I see a work of art, something happens in my heart.” The painting makes her feel like dancing and leaping, and in front of a painting of a ballerina, the girl lifts up on her toes and raises her arms gracefully.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night makes her “all twirly-whirly” and she spins around like the painting’s swirling winds. She sees off-beat sculptures that inspire her to turn upside down and become a human work of art with bent legs and pointed toes. She sits face to face with The Thinker, contemplating “the whos and whats and wheres and whys.” A woman’s abstract face painted in blues makes her sad, while a plate of apples reminds her she’s hungry.

Image copyright Peter H. Reynolds, 2013, text copyright Susan Verde, 2013. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

The girl skips past a wall lined with paintings of flowers, mirrors The Scream, and makes “silly faces at a guy” by Picasso. Paintings of squiggles make her burst out in giggles. But then she sees a wall-sized painting that makes her stop and stare. The canvas is completely blank. She looks long and hard, then shuts her eyes and says, “I start to see things / in my head, / yellow, blue, then green / and red, / circles, lines, all kinds of shapes, / faces, flowers, and landscapes.” The idea of a world that’s hers to fill anyway she wants leaves her elated, and as she walks out the door at the end of the day, the girl is happy and content because, she says, “The museum lives inside of me.”

Image copyright Peter H. Reynolds, 2013, text copyright Susan Verde, 2013. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Through one girl’s trip to a museum Susan Verde celebrates the emotions and dreams that experiencing art can stimulate in visitors. Her jaunty rhymes and conversational rhythm create an atmosphere of active participation for her happy museum-goer as well as for readers, leading them to the realization that not only a canvas, but their life itself, is a unique work of art.

Image copyright Peter H. Reynolds, 2013, text copyright Susan Verde, 2013. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Peter H. Reynolds’ fluid, uninhibited line drawings are ideally suited to Verde’s inspirational story. As the girl flits, twirls, and skips from gallery to gallery and mimics the paintings and sculpture she sees, readers’ imaginations will also take off, remembering art that they’ve seen and conjuring up some of their own. Reproductions of famous works of art give younger kids a chance to learn about some pieces of world art and allows older children the opportunity to show their knowledge.

A smart and stylish tribute to art museums, the feelings expressed in The Museum are also fitting for any child who finds inspiration in a museum of history, natural science, science, or any discipline. The book makes a beautiful gift, a stirring addition to home bookshelves, and a terrific book to pair with museum trips, art classes, and inspirational story times in any classroom.

Ages 5 – 7 (and up)

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013 | ISBN 978-1419705946

Discover more about Susan Verde and her books on her website.

To learn more about Peter H. Reynolds and view a gallery of his books and art, visit his website

Museums Advocacy Day Activity

Create a Museum Exhibit

Every item has a story. Is there a funny anecdote behind that knick-knack on the shelf? Does your favorite serving dish hold sentimental value? A fun and educational way for kids to learn family stories and interact with their own history is to create a museum exhibit of objects in your home.

For teachers this can be a fun classroom activity that incorporates writing, art, and speaking, and categorizing skills. Students can use objects in the classroom or bring items from home to set up museum exhibits. This activity can be done as a whole-class project or by smaller groups, who then present their exhibit to the rest of the class.

Supplies

• A number of household or classroom items
• Paper or index cards
• Markers
• A table, shelf, or other area for display

Directions

1. To get started have children gather a number of items from around the house to be the subjects of their exhibit. An exhibit can have a theme, such as Grandma’s China or Travel Souvenirs, or it can contain random items of your child’s choice, such as toys, plants, tools, even the furniture they see and use every day.
2. Using the paper or cards and markers, children can create labels for their exhibit items. Older children will be able to write the labels themselves; younger children may need adult help.
3. Spend a little time relating the story behind each object: where it came from, how long you’ve had it, when and how it was used in the past, and include any funny or touching memories attached to the item. Or let your child’s imagination run free, and let them create histories for the objects.
4. When the labels are finished, arrange the items on a table, shelf, or in a room, and let your child lead family members or classmates on a tour. You can even share the exhibit with family and friends on social media.
5. If extended family members live in your area, this is a wonderful way for your child to interact with them and learn about their heritage.

You can find The Museum at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

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