Madame Sonia Delaunay

Readers get a pop-up tour of the paintings, drawings, and costume designs of artist Sonia Delaunay (1885–1979) in an engaging, small-format book that feels like something of an art piece itself. Throughout, Lo Monaco’s playful rhymes encourage readers to analyze, contemplate, and react to Delaunay’s abstract forms. “Harsh moustaches and slithering snakes? That is simply frightful!/ Sticky worms and ocean waves? That’s much more delightful!” reads the text accompanying an untitled 1948 work, whose blue, black, and red squiggles slide left and right thanks to horizontal cuts in the page. In a standout spread, flaps unfold to reveal angular costume designs dating to the 1920s. This intriguing introduction to Delaunay’s work should leave art aficionados eager to learn more about her. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)