The Noisy Paint Box: the Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Art by Barb Rosenstock has been a favorite of my art therapy classes this year. A Caldecott Honor Book, I cannot say enough about this beautiful book. The illustrations (by Mary Grandpre) are amazing and add so much to the story of the young life of Vasya Kandinsky and his journey to becoming an artist.

The story begins with Vasya learning to be the “proper Russian boy”, by learning about music, math, science and history. He was taught to sit and talk with adults and all the things his family thought he should learn. His world changed when his aunt gave him a wooden paint box. Vasya could hear music and sounds when he painted and could see art when he heard music. Kandinsky felt the artwork, he felt the music, which was very difficult for others to understand. He felt compelled to create art, he had to, even though he pursued other areas of study.

As an adult this book made me feel Kandinsky’s frustration with wanting and feeling something others didn’t understand. My students loved the story and were very impressed with the illustrations. This book would be an amazing gift for any child ages 3 or 4 to about 8 years old.

I used this story to make their own interpretation of Black Lines by Kandinsky.

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art

• I did not receive compensation or a free product for my review of this product. Opinions are strictly my own and I wanted to share with you.