Thames & Hudson
June 2026
ISBN: 9781760764821
RRP: $24.99




From the talented creators of What is a Dot? comes some more great imaginative and creative read & play experiences and already I can see the paint splatting all over the place! While it may cause some to throw up their hands in horror (probably the same ones who shy away from making slime or glitter-filled snow globes) others will pounce on this one with alacrity.
It’s pretty self-explanatory as the splats on each page are transformed with imaginative inventiveness. What will your kiddos transform their splats into? In the same vein as our much-loved Mr Squiggle turning those scribbles into somethings, this will encourage your Smalls to realise that art is, exclusively, a very human endeavour at no matter what age [take that AI!], that art is not always, about perfection or precision and that art is everywhere. It is, in fact, the very stuff of life itself. What an absolutely joy-filled book to share on your library or classroom shelves or in your home. Your Smalls will love reading it and, even better, will love extending that into action. It gets a splatty 5 rating from me for Smalls from toddlers to Upper Primary (for inspiration!).
It seems timely then to write and post this review as the world at large mourns the passing of that giant of art, David Hockney. And doubly fitting as Thames & Hudson shared this wonderful tribute to David this morning.
Vale David Hockney – we thank you. Your legacy will endure down the ages.
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David Hockney (1937–2026)![]() ‘The space between where I end and you begin, is the most interesting space of all’ – David Hockney.Few artists have had the ability to affect so many people deeply with words as well as with pictures: with his constant sense of curiosity and probing self-awareness, Hockney is indisputably one of these. His many books continue to give lasting inspiration to readers of all generations, keeping us attuned to the reasons why we create, draw or look, and urging us to see and celebrate the extraordinary beauty of our world.Read Thames & Hudson’s Tribute to David HockneyFrom the Archive: David Hockney & Martin Gayford on the history of pictures ![]() The making of pictures has a history going back perhaps 100,000 years to an African shell used as a paint palette. In their book A History of Pictures, David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford discuss how and why pictures have been made. Here’s an in-person conversation from 2016, in which they discuss art in all its forms.Watch now |








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