Art For Baby: 0 - Tapa dura

If its UK sales numbers are anything indication, Art For Baby, a book for children ages three and younger that Templar book swill publish stateside in May, will have American parents swooning. The 12 page book board is filled with images by artists including Damien Hurst, Bridget Riley, and Gary Hume, all rendered in stark black and white, as babies are said to respond to the high contrast between the monochromatic shades. Yana Peel, a founder of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund in London, came up with the idea after seeing her infant son transfixed by a Julian Opie video installation on her wall. Peel says that the Uk release of the $19.99 book late last year also proved to have appeal beyond the nursery walls. It's very affordable art in a very shaky market. * W Magazine * Never mind a dummy - a new book offers another, less conventional, way to calm a fractious baby: a dose of contemporary art. * The Guardian * NEVER mind giving them some crayons to play with. Experts reckon you should be showing your little one real pieces of art. Previously young babies were thought to have very limited vision. Current research by leading child development experts suggests that focusing on high contrast images is the first step to picture recognition in newborn babies. This skill is essential in developing your baby's understanding of pictures and words. As they delight in looking at pictures and concentrating on the vivid shapes, even a restless child can be engrossed and calmed. Art for Baby. Art for Baby is a collection of black-and-white images created by some of the world's leading contemporary artists, such as Damien Hirst, Josef Albers and Gary Hume. Each one has been specially selected to help your baby develop picture recognition and connect with the world around them. David Shrigley who's image is called 'Untitled" says, "I'm not a parent, but most of my friends have kids. Babies respond to really weird things in my experience. "You can rattle your keys at them and they seem to find it entertaining. I'm not precious about my images. If very young eyes appreciate them, one should be flattered". And another one is by Julian Opie, named 'Raphael' "As a baby my second daughter would gaze intently at a Paul Morrison black and white landscape that hangs in our living room. "I realised that the strong, simple flowers and trees made sense to her and were mesmerising". The book is on sale now and GBP1.50 from the sale of the book will be donated to the NSPCC or in Scotland Children 1st to provide vital help and support to vulnerable children and young people. -- NATASHA HARDING * Suns and Daughters *

Twelve images by famous artists, from Damien Hirst to Keith Haring and Julian Opie, jump off the pages of this funky, chunky cased board book that supports the NSPCC. Babies respond most to high-contrast black-and-white images, therefore the artwork has been specifically chosen for maximum visual stimulation. The enclosed wall frieze is the perfect decoration for the nursery of any budding artist.