Even in one of the greatest art cities in the world, it is often hard for parents to interest their children in art. All it takes is one temper tantrum from a bored and over-hungry child during a tour through the Metropolitan’s galleries for a parent to decide to limit future family cultural outings to the American Museum of Natural History – even if it means seeing the same dinosaur bones hundreds of times.

Prestel’s series of “Adventures in Art” books is a great tool for parents hoping to teach their children something about history’s greatest painters without either going over their heads or talking down to them. Each book is a monograph devoted to the life and works of one artist, and the series has gone beyond the usual small roster of “child-friendly” painters to include more complex and challenging artists such as Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, and Paul Gauguin. The two newest books in the series, available in May, are “Henri Rousseau’s Jungle Book,” by Doris Kutschbach, and “Paul Cezanne: How He Amazed the World,” by Angela Wenzel (both $14.95).

Both books engage children on issues such as perspective, use of color, painting styles, and recurring themes through a series of seemingly simple observations and questions, printed next to large, full-color reproductions of the painters’ works. “The figures look tiny compared to the huge palms on the other side of the river,” Ms. Kutschbach notes of Rousseau’s 1907 painting “The Flamingos,” demonstrating the painter’s unusual use of proportion. In a few sentences, she is able to convey the sense of mystery and enchantment in Rousseau’s evocative “The Snake Charmer” (1907): “Who is the strange dark figure on the banks of the wide river? … Large, dangerous snakes are swaying tamely in time to the enchanting melody … We cannot even be sure if it is night or day – is that the sun or the moon in the sky?” She points out that the figure of a dark musician recurs in his famous painting of 1910, “The Dream”: Most viewers would be too focused on the naked woman lying on a couch in the jungle to notice the mysterious flute player camouflaged among the forest branches.

Similarly, Ms. Wenzel is able to bring the subtleties of Cezanne’s works to life with a number of deceptively simple observations. Juxtaposing the artist’s 1869 “Still Life with Kettle,” and his 1899 “Still Life with Faience Jug,” both of which depict fruits and ceramic jugs set on a table, she writes, “In his early still lifes Cezanne used to paint as if a bright light were shining on the objects, casting strong shadows. In his later paintings, on the other hand, it is the colors which seem to glow.” Indeed, in the 1899 painting, the objects appear to have their own luminosity, looking warm and vibrant, as opposed to the objects in the 1869 painting which seem cold, hard, and insignificant compared to the harsh light source shining on them.

Both books also focus extensively on the artists’ lives, and particularly on their struggles to become artists in the face of resistance from their parents, perhaps in an effort to inspire budding young artists to follow their dreams. Rousseau, despite his fantastical paintings, led an excruciatingly boring life as customs officer at the gates of Paris, and didn’t start to paint until the age of 40. “If my parents had known that I was such a gifted painter, I would now be the richest, most famous painter in France today,” he later wrote bitterly. The images of flora and fauna in his paintings came not from trips to exotic countries, but from visits to Paris’s Botanical Gardens, which he visited on breaks from work.

Meanwhile, Cezanne battled endlessly with his disapproving father, who wanted him to take over the family banking business in Aix-en-Provence. His father was appalled when the young Cezanne told him that he wanted to study painting in Paris after leaving school, replying ominously, “As a genius you can only die, but with money you can buy food.” Cezanne was only able to pursue his painting career with the encouragement of his best friend, Emile Zola, although the two later had a falling-out when Zola published a novel whose main character was a painter who never became famous and always doubted his own talent – a figure suspiciously like Cezanne in the years before he became successful.

Ultimately, these two books, and others in the “Adventures in Art” series, provide a window into the imaginations, techniques, and personal dramas of some of history’s best artists and, in the process, offer inspiration for young creative minds as well.

For Pint – Size Painters

Want to encourage your budding young artist? The Museum of Modern Art has launched the Modern Kids collection, a line of accessories highlighting works of art from the museum. The collection includes backpacks ($26), lunch bags ($18), sketchbooks ($16), photo albums ($14), and T-shirts ($15), all of which have plastic display windows showcasing a work of art. Children can personalize the items with their own artwork or favorite image. Each product comes with a collectible plastic card featuring one of five Modern Kids characters – young versions of artists such as Frida Kahlo or Walker Evans.

Children can learn more about the artists at MoMA’s terrific Web site for children, Destination: Modern Art (www.moma.org/destination), which has a colorful animated interactive tour of the museum’s galleries. The Modern Kids collection is available at www.momastore.org.