This is one of those books that NEEDS to be in my personal library. I want “the story of art without men” by Katy hessel to be a common coffee table book, easily within reach at all times. It’s added to my list of books to buy for myself once I have my own place!

The Story of Art Without Men is beautiful, vibrant, and inspiring. While geared towards younger readers (and I haven’t read the grown-up version of this book), I believe anyone of any age can appreciate and learn something from this book. The conversational writing, the descriptions of the time periods and influence on artists as well as questions and prompts to encourage young artists work well. This feels like an approachable and down-to-earth history of art that spans centuries and continents. The highlighted artists and their works showcase a range of styles and Hessel gives the reader insights into appreciating the artist and their works even if it’s something unfamiliar, unusual and/or not to your tastes :) This is largely organized chronologically, but this is also the kind of book that you don’t need to follow in a linear fashion. You can jump from section to section or pause on the pages that capture your attention. What a great introduction and reintroduction to some incredible women and their art.

Many thanks to W. W. Norton and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This book is incredible! I had such a fun time reading this book, learned a lot, and loved how beautifully illustrated each page was as well. I am 100% going to be purchasing a copy for myself, my young nieces who are budding artists, and anyone interested in the arts. This is accessible, thorough, and a key piece of work that anyone who cares about the arts should own a copy of. 10/10 - no notes!

This book is very important and timely as certain people try to rewrite history. We need to pay attention to the contributions and accomplishments of women (and POC) so they aren’t forgotten.
I learned a lot about women in art and different time periods. Amazing details not only about their lives but about the world they lived in. Definitely recommend this book.

This beautifully illustrated, informative book should be required reading! I have a bunch of tabs open on my phone of artists that I want to explore further who I had never heard of before. This beautifully illustrated, informative book should be required reading!

A beautifully illustrated celebration of women in art throughout history, and all of the types of art they created, this is a wonderful adaptation that will get young readers excited about art history!

In The Story of Art Without Men, Katy Hessel reimagines her groundbreaking 2023 work of the same name into a book for young readers (an age is not given, but I imagine it to be appropriate for upper elementary level readers). The book is full of charming, bright illustrations by Ping Zhu, and in addition to featuring famous and not-so-famous female artists throughout history, there are captions with bits of history applicable to each artist and time period, as well as prompts encouraging the reader to engage with the art.

What I loved about this book was the cheerful, lighthearted narrative which provided information and defined common art terms without being condescending (“Did you know that back then paint tubes didn’t exist, so artists had to crush rocks into powder. They added water or egg whites to make a liquid paint.”). Ms. Hessel also inserted her own views in simple language (“I really like the way the girl is looking at her sister. It reminds me of how I idolized my own sisters.”) No undefined big words or “art speak” here!

I think this would be an excellent book for all young readers, but especially so in a school setting when students have the opportunity to share their thoughts with others. Many thanks to Norton and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this advance reader’s copy. All opinions are my own.

I love this book that introduces elementary school aged children to women artists from different schools over the centuries. The illustrations are completely engaging as is the text from the author. From the introduction to the last page, kids are invited to think about art. There is much information (in small sections) and questions for young viewers to contemplate. There are also many works of art to see.

Readers/viewers begin with the Renaissance and move forward from there. The journey will, I hope, be enjoyable for them.

I easily and enthusiastically give this book five stars. I think that, along with its intended audience, adults may also enjoy this title.

Many thanks to Norton Young Readers for this title. All thoughts are my own.