AWESOME! Australian Art for Contemporary Kids

Cree, Laura Murray (2003) Awesome! Australian art for contemporary kids. Melbourne:Craftsman House (ISBN 1-877004-20-0)

Shortlisted by the CBCA for the Eve Pownell Award for Information Books in 2003, Awesome! is a collection of 54 contemporary Australian artworks targeted at upper primary and junior secondary students. Through an exciting and often unusual selection, the book aims to stimulate young peoples' imaginations and their appreciation of art.

Each double page spread introduces an artist and his/her work. The artwork is reproduced in colour and the accompanying text discusses the artist and his/her intentions, as well as the artwork itself. A fact box outlines essential details of the piece and occasionally the author's personal response is included. The language is very accessible and addresses the reader directly. A table at the end of the book provides information on the artists’ collections and gallery information.

Overall, this is a highly engaging text, often pored over by students during lunch time, and a valuable resource for the NSW Visual Arts Syllabus, Stages 4 and 5.