Random House, 2008. Copies may have previous owner's name inside.

This ground-breaking picture book combines the work of the hottest of young contemporary artists with illustrations by up-and-coming artist John Ward Knox and text by impressive young lecturer and art educator Brad Irwin. Squarely aimed at children, the story follows four children as they look at different artworks in a gallery and try to work out what contemporary art is. It's simply and clearly written and focuses on actual comments Brad Irwin collected from New Zealand school children. The artworks are from a number of disciplines - painting, sculpture, installations, video work etc - and the artists include the well-known (Michael Parekowhai, Yvonne Todd and Shane Cotton) and the emerging (Todd Stratton and Sriwhana Spong) John Ward Knox is a multi-talented artist and lecturer at Elam School of Art, and his illustrations and design have great movement and energy. There is no other book on the market like this - even internationally.