Red, Green, Blue: A First Book of Colors
PreSchool-Grade 2—Colors, nursery rhymes, and seek-and-find fun are rolled into this companion to Jay'sABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book(2003) and123: A Child's First Counting Book(2007, both Dutton). The story begins on a dismally gray, rainy day with a small boy sitting in a window seat with his watercolor paint set. The child and his brown-and-white spotted dog become astonished bystanders in the midst of a series of favorite childhood stories. The boy observes the farmer's wife chasing three rodents with dark glasses and white canes. In the background, readers can spot a haystack with a child in blue leaning against it, which leads into the next rhyme, about Little Boy Blue. The illustration includes a blind mouse disappearing around the haystack, while a yellow teapot in a window foreshadows the next rhyme. Views across the hilly countryside and through windows, and pictures on walls and a clock all hint at what rhyme or song is coming. Fourteen colors, including turquoise, silver, and gold, and an equal number of nursery rhymes or songs are highlighted, while others are visible to observant readers. The delightful, intricate artwork has a crackled finish, creating the appearance of an old fresco. As the boy awakens to a rainbow shining in his eyes, nursery-rhyme characters are seen greeting each other outside his window. A wonderful and welcome addition to concept books.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.