Kahlo's Koalas

This is beautifully illustrated, featuring sets of animals from 1 to 10, each in a different artist's style. The animals and artist names are alliterative, such as Picasso's Panda and Lichtenstein's Llamas. This would be a wonderful introduction to art styles and art history, and to use as inspiration or animal illustrations for elementary art classes. It also includes a short "Gallery of Artists" that gives a short biographical blurb about each artist and their style.

This book was gorgeously illustrated and I loved the idea of combining favorite artists with the simple and important experience of number recognition and counting. The gallery at the end of this book was a helpful inclusion and the artwork is captivating for its target audience of toddlers and younger preschoolers. I think anyone who appreciates art history will love reading this book with their child. A big thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Goodreads Rating: 3 stars.

A cute introduction to a variety of artistic styles and counting. The illustrations accompanying each number encapsulate the visual cues of each artist's style fairly well, but I felt the illustrations lacked a "depth" of style that the artists' works have. However, this is a board book focusing on learning to count, first and foremost, so I'm not going to nitpick on that too much! It still provides a fun foundation to art--as much as I hate the STEAM acronym, I do love a good math/science lesson hidden in art--as well as a new variety of animals beyond your basic lions and tigers.

There are a few brief blurbs about each artist at the end which I can imagine being helpful for creating little lesson plans or discussions about a style of art.

Kahlo's Koalas is a 1,2,3 count with me book. Each number is represented by a different artist and a different animal done in the style or likeness of that artist. It counts from 1-10 and has really great illustrations in the style of some very famous artists. At the end of the book it features each artist and says how each artist would have painted the animals if they had the chance to. Really fun to look at!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated. This book will be released on April 9th from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

I love the concept of exposing children to different art styles when they are still learning to count. Art appreciation is an acquired skill and has to be nurtured from a very young age. The book has beautiful illustrations in the style of such famous artists as Frieda Kahlo, Roy Lichtenstein, Vincent Van Gogh and Andy Warhol to name just a few. I love the alliteration of the artists’ surnames and names of the animals: Van Gogh Geckos, Lichtenstein llamas, Matisse monkeys. I believe children will find this both entertaining and memorable.
My favourite spread is Seurat Sloths but it was extremely difficult to choose just one.
Highly recommended for parents, caregivers, and anybody who wishes to help children develop long-lasting love of art.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Beautifully illustrated book! This book takes a basic task of teaching the numbers 1 through 10 and makes it special. Each page has exquisite illustrations done in a style similar to one of ten famous artists. Not only is it a learning tool, it is a treat for the eyes.

This book will help the young ones in mastering their numbers 1 through 10 and teach them a general appreciation for the beauty of artwork. While at the same time, the adults will be pleased by the detail and creativity of the illustrations in this book.


Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Truly hilarious. I never thought that I'd see Koala's when Frida Kahlo's unibrow and iconic flower adornments. Iconic is a word that accurately portrays this.

This is a wonderful children's picture book that teaches several things at once without feeling forced. It is a counting book showing animals painted in the styles of different famous artists. My kids will love it.

The artistry in Kahlo's Koalas is incredible. This book take a number, assigns a famous artist (Picasso, Matisse, etc.) and shows animals in the style of that artist. This is one of those books that a little one (ages 1-3) will enjoy for the counting and the pictures, but the adult reading will be fascinated by the art/artist.
At the end, there are descriptions of each of the artists and how their style relates to what is depicted in this book. It is written simply enough that the adult can easily read the description with their child and then go back to the picture to see how it fits.

A bright and fun counting book, with familiar animals and modern art being used in combination to get the numerical order across. The book has to admit the Kandinsky kangaroos would have been a bit more abstract than here in truth, but it's accurate to the artists that inspired the works - the titular koalas with their monobrows certainly fit. In a world where one purpose is not enough for this kind of book it's great to have a little eye-opener for art as well as the numeracy benefit.

This is a child's counting book that adults are sure to love too! The illustrations are bright, appealing and in the style of ten different artists including Monet, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Frida Kahlo etc. At the end of the book, there is additional information on each of the artists. The picture book is an appealing addition (pun recognized) to the counting book genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. I truly enjoyed this one.

Cute, colorful kolas. A great read for young children and great book to read to them. I love children's books with good illustrations.

Absolutely wonderful combination of a counting book with famous art styles and beautiful illustrations. I'd definitely love more of it. Great fun for kids and their parents!

Such a pity that it is so short!

I really enjoyed this; it's such a fun way how to introduce different artists!

My favourites are Monet Mice and Seurat Sloths.

And I was surprised by Pollocks Poodles, I was expecting Dalmatians, but of course, the author wanted to keep the alliteration.

I never believed this could actually work, but I'm very pleasantly surprised!

I see this book as a lovely first introduction to artists for young children, and a way to spark interest in different artists throughout history and a jumping off point for exploring more of their work.
It would also be a great tool for learning to count, pointing at the animals on the brightly coloured pages.
It is beautifully illustrated throughout, and the pages at the back with a short biography and details about each artist mentioned in the book is a lovely touch and really important for context and continued study.
I can imagine using this book to introduce counting in English to my young students studying English as a second language, as well as to introduce different artistic styles to my other students who are a little bit older, eg to introduce cubism to my primary school kids. It is also a nice way to learn some animal names.
Even if your students or kids are native English speakers this book is a lovely resource.
All in all I can see myself using it in the classroom a lot!!

This book is introducing art to young children in a playful way. Very nicely done.

I didn’t really know what to expect and wasn’t sure if I would like this book. I was also worried that the combination of art and counting might not work, creating an overload of colors and shapes, making focusing on counting difficult.

I need not have worried. All objects were easily distinguishable from the background and from each other and thus easily countable.

Because of the book cover and title, I somehow thought that all art would be in Kahlo's style. But every animal from 1 to 10 is drawn in a different style, including Picasso, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Monet. I actually got really excited in anticipation over every next page and what style it would show.

There is even a “Gallery of Artists” at the end of the book, explaining each artist’s style in child friendly terms. This part is probably more suitable for parents and older kids who already know how to count. But I am sure even older kids will be able to enjoy this bouquet of art styles.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this little book! There are only so many ways to incorporate animals and counting, but this one really broke the mold! Not only will little ones learn basics, but also experience art history. Highly recommend.

A very interesting counting picture book that uses concepts of artists, animals and counting all in one easy to read picture book.

I loved this book. The illustration was my favorite part. Colorful and fun, it's the perfect book for little ones to flip through on their own after having it read to them.

This is the most adorable counting book i have come across! It's a must have if your a parent.

Each page has a number & a picture of an animal in a different famous artist art style. This is very unique and such beautiful works of art. Does this artist's true justice. It's an awesome way to introduce art styles to kids while learning to count.

My favorite pages are the Picasso & Frida Khalo 😍👌

I definitely recommend.
I received this via Netgally in an exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book is AMAZING! It's hard to read in ebook form, but both my boys loved it. This book has so many ways to ingage with them while reading. It not only teaches one how to count, but helps foster a live of animals and art. We will be purchasing this book in print form. Thanks for the opportunity to review and share it with my little ones.

This children's picture book is filled with illustrations of animals that reflect the artistic styles of some of the most famous artists in history. Cute, simple, and colorful, this is a great book for introducing young children to the endless possibilities of art.

First off, i think you need to change the subtitle. This book is a pretty typical number counting book, but each animal/number pair have been illustrated in the style of a famous artist like Frieda Kahlo, Picasso, etc. The illustrator does a great job making this standard book interesting and colorful.

'Kahlo's Koalas' by Grace Helmer is a counting book with a unique idea.

This is a counting book with animals, but the animals are done in the style of famous artists. So starting with a panda in a Picasso style, then moving on to the title koalas, the reader is greeted by fun animals and different styles with every number. Lichtenstein, Warhol and Monet are here along with others.

I liked this bright, colorful counting book. The book includes some short bios on the artists, but for this kind of book, it seems perhaps a bit too advanced. It's still a fun board book and I liked the illustrations.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I really loved this book and so did my granddaughter. The arts, appreciation of it as well as the opportunity to express yourself through art is extremely important in a developing mind. To introduce young children to various styles of art while learning to count and about different animals is a win for them. This book has beautiful illustrations in the style of famous artists such as Frieda Kahlo, Roy Lichtenstein, and Vincent Van Gogh to name a few. I love the text in this book as well. It is written in alliteration form using the artist's name that is being demonstrated, such as Matisse Monkeys.

Even though this is a board book, I recommend it to parents and teachers of preschool, kindergarten and primary aged children. It would definitely work in an art lesson showing different styles in a fun and different way.

Art history meets learning to count in this whimsical book for toddlers and the pre-K set. Illustrations for each number, 1 through 10 are based on famous paintings or drawings of the pictured animal. While the works of the artists in general will appeal (perhaps) to much older children and adults, the premise is novel. If you collect counting books, you'll want to add this to your collection. Two pages with brief bios of each artist presented appear in the back of the book. Animals by Picasso, Kahlo, Lichenstein, Matisse, Pollock, Kandinsky, Seurat, Van Gogh, Warhol, and Monet are pictured.