Mitzi's World: Seek and Discover More Than 150 Details in 15 Works of Folk Art

Do you know the difference between naïve art and neo-naïve art? Mitzi is a white dog with black spots and a red collar who loves to discover new things, so she searches for them throughout the year in New England villages, rural communities, East Coast beaches, and West Coast cities. Actress and author Deborah Raffin and leading Americana painter Jane Wooster Scott combine their talents in this book so that children can follow Mitzi through colorful pictures to find details such as nine boots in winter, six slices of watermelon at a spring fair, eleven sailboats at the seaside in summer, and four pumpkins at a fall produce hut. Interactive books like Mitzi's World help youngsters to develop good eye coordination, familiarity with common objects, recognition of numbers, colors, and shapes, and even critical thinking. But just as important is the fact that they're fun! And I dearly love the prints of Scott's old-fashioned oil paintings on canvas. I'm sure that I've seen her work somewhere else, perhaps in Ideals Magazine. Oh, by the way, the book is useful in learning about art too, because it explains the difference between naïve folk art, which is simple work by untrained artists, and non-naïve folk art, which is simple work created by trained artists. It also talks about environmental art, outsider art, and memory art. The reader is even asked to guess which styles were used to create Mitzi's world. This is a great "feel-good" type of book.

awesome book, a good learning tool and superb paintings that bring the creative story to life

My daughter is 26 months old and loves this book. We even got a Mitzi-looking dog toy from somewhere, so she can play with Mitzi when we're not at home. Her vocabulary has expanded tremendously, as I explained to her what all colorful objects in the pictures are. The art is wonderful - the details, the colors, the variety of seasons, nature, cities, villages. A child can return to the book again and again and discover new things. Just great!

Clever and charming. My daughter and I enjoyed it no end. It's a perfect mix of education, warmth and humor. A perfect bedtime read. Enjoy.

I ordered a number of the Mitzi's World books for my grandchildren and to give as gifts to other parents. My grandchildren loved it, had more fun, and have never been so focused. They really enjoyed reading and playing with it with me.