Anna at the Art Museum shows a young child brought to the art museum by her mother. She is bored, and when she does show an interest in something, she gets disdainful looks or chastisement from the nearby guard (when touching a painting, for instance, or speaking at a loud volume when roaring at a ceramic lion).

Fortunately, though, Anna gets an opportunity to be drawn into the art world when she finds a partially open door: "When a door is half open, it is very hard not to wonder what lies on the other side." She is invited to visit the art restoration room and finds a painting of a bored girl that she connects with. The rest of the visit is transformed as she is drawn to the art in a new way.

This would be a perfect introduction to art museums to read with a child, especially if he or she needs to be prepared for the experience. Conversations about how to engage and what pieces are of interest could be had.

This was an amusing read to me, having recently taken my four- and seven-year-old daughters to their first art museum. Unlike Anna, they were both quite engaged from the beginning, but I resonated with keeping a sharp eye on them, making sure they didn't touch or sit where they weren't supposed to (and the speed at which they can cover a room -- whew!).

Another item of note: I appreciated the diverse cast of characters. Representation matters, so it's a treat to have a book with characters that look like America looks, especially on an ordinary topic that has nothing to do with race or Civil Rights.

Throughout the pages, you will notice familiar works of art in the background; at the close of the book, the artwork is again shown in thumbnail size where further details are given.

I received a free digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.