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Yayoi Kusama Children’s Book

Collage of Yayoi Kusama, a children's book cover, colorful artworks, and a pumpkin sculpture in polka-dot patterns.

I am in love with this new children’s book about Yayoi Kusama.  The illustrations are gorgeous.  I love Yayoi’s style and her artwork.  Known for her polka dot installations, polka dot pumpkins and mirrored rooms, this artist is sure to captivate your students.

Cover of the children's book "Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity" by Sarah Suzuki, with illustrations by Ellen Weinstein.

From the inside cover: “Growing up in Japan, Yayoi Kusama dreamed of becoming an artist.  In the fields of her family’s nurseries she drew flowers and plants and stones, imagining the world around her as streams and clusters and arrays of dots.”

A person in a red outfit with polka dots is painting more polka dots on a white table and chair, with a polka dot dog nearby.

“After studying traditional painting in Japan, Kusama moved to New York City, where she quickly became famous for her paintings patterned with dots, and for her big soft sculptures of chairs, sofas and boats completely covered with stuffed tubes.”A colorful illustration of a city street with people, buildings, trees, and dotted patterns decorating the scene.

“Kusama shows her work all over the world, and crowds of people come to see her mirrored rooms endlessly reflecting colored lights, and her rooms that start out white and are gradually blanketed in dots and more dots.”

Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos.  Polka dots are a way to infinity.

An illustrated children's book spread, one side shows a person in yellow with white orbs while the other side displays a large pumpkin on a pier. A children's book illustration showing a girl drawing in a vibrant field of colorful, oversized flowers with a house in the background. A colorful illustration of a woman painting a large paper extending from a whimsical forest scene. Illustration of three figures in red outfits with large white dots, set against a cosmic backdrop with colorful dots. It captures the whimsical essence suited for a children's book.

I found a few polka dotted pumpkin art ideas on Artsonia that might be interesting to try after reading this book.

Painted Pumpkins

Another set of pumpkin paintings

I’m loving these gourds and pumpkins

Flowers (or other subject matter) with kids

How beautiful are these self-portraits!?

I was not paid to write this review and I have no affiliation with the publishing company.  Amazon Affiliate links are used, but I only recommend products I use and love!


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About Marcia Beckett

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

2 Responses to Yayoi Kusama Children’s Book

  1. Rhonda H says:

    Thank you for introducing me to Yayoi Kusama. I love adding artists to the list that would be great to show to kids. Even better when there is a book about him or her. I was thrilled to add a children’s book about Georgia O’Keeffe to my collection while visiting Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM this summer! We took a riding tour around the ranch and the guide had mounted prints of every location she painted. We’d stop, and the guide would point out an area, a geographical feature, an old tree, then she’d show us the print. It was amazing to look at the very things O’Keeffe had seen and depicted!
    One of my new favorite artists is Annie O’Brien Gonzales of Santa Fe. She does bold, expressive landscapes and still life paintings that are full of pattern and color! I bought a DVD of hers from NorthLight and she’s so friendly and real and shares her painting secrets!
    Have a great week!

  2. Pingback: Yayoi Kusama Dotted Pumpkins for Kids – Trading Linked

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