From boxes of crayons to palettes of paint, if your child loves color, don’t miss these books
A Day With No Crayons
Author: Elizabeth Rusch
Illustrator: Chad Cameron
Publisher: Rising Moon
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
When Liza has an “artistic” moment on her bedroom wall, her crayons are taken away for the day – disaster! Yet, when creativity meets boredom, amazing things can happen. In this terrific book, nature becomes the new crayon box as color pops up in the most surprising of places. Wonderful illustrations complement the artistic text with written shades shown in their actual colors.
Awards: Recommended by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; Winner, Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children’s Literature; Oregon Book Awards Winner, Literary Arts
Blue
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 6
Website
Awards: American Library Association Children’s Notable Book, 2019; School Library Journal Best Books of 2018; Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit Selection, 2018/2019; NPR Best Books of 2018; Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2018; Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of 2018; Bank Street College of Education Best Books of 2018; CCBC Choices Best Books of 2018; Amazon Best Books of 2018; Evanston Public Library Best Books of 2018; Winner, Wanda Gag Read Aloud Award Honor Book, 2019
Color Surprises: A Pop-Up Book
Author: Chuck Murphy
Illustrator: Chuck Murphy
Publisher: Little Simon
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Whether it walks, flies, swims, or slides, these colors become as extraordinary as the animal kingdom itself.
Green
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press
Recommended Age Range: 2 to 6
Website
A visually stunning look at the color we thought we knew. Through painted pictures, with a small window into the next, Green’s art seems to have moved from the walls of a museum to the pages of this book. Beautifully done for children and adults.
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, 2013; Kirkus Best Book of 2012; Bank Street College of Education Best Book of 2012; CCBC Choices Best Book of 2012; Capitol Choices 2013 Noteworthy Book for Children; American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, 2013; Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2012; Booklist Best Book of 2012; Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2012; New York Public Library Best Book for Giving and Sharing, 2012; 2013 Winner of the Giverny Award, 2013; Parents Magazine 10 Best Books of 2012 selection; Children’s Book of the Month Club selection
It’s an Orange Aardvark!
Author: Michael Hall
Illustrator: Michael Hall
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
Color and confusion abound in Michael Hall’s It’s an Orange Aardvark! When a group of carpenter ants sees orange from their tree stump’s peephole, they are positive it’s an ant-eating orange aardvark. As more holes are made, chaos ensues as each hole brings a new color and a new – very funny reason – to panic. A very clever book with a surprise ending…or two.
Lemons are Not Red
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press
Recommended Age Range: 2 to 5
Website
A terrific, and interactive, book that teaches children colors by asking questions about everyday objects. In this case, shapes start out as the wrong color but turn the page and, voila, there is the right one. Doubles as a bedtime story so, truly, two books in one. ☺
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, 2004; Child Magazine Best Book of 2004; New York Public Library Best Book for Giving and Sharing, 2004; CBS This Morning Best Book for Gift Giving, 2004; Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Best Book of 2004; Capitol Choices 2005 Noteworthy Book for Children; CCBC Choices Best Book of 2004
Little Blue and Little Yellow
Author: Leo Lionni
Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
Little blue and little yellow are the best of friends. But, one day, things get a bit mixed up and they become…green. When, at first, their parents don’t recognize their own children, the friends are at a loss; that is, until their tears clear things up. When apologies and hugs appear so does green – for everybody. A classic.
Awards: Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Winner 2009
Mix It Up!
Author: Herve Tullet
Illustrator: Herve Tullet
Publisher: Handprint Books, an Imprint of Chronicle Books LLC (U.S. Edition)
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 6
Some books become favorites right away; in my experience, this is one of them. Herve Tullet has created a brilliant and interactive way to show how one color can be made from two…but not without your child’s help! In the same style as Press Here, tapping, smudging, shaking, tilting, squishing, rubbing, and “smooshing,” make colors change in the most delightful ways. Magical!
Awards: Amazon.com Best Books of the Year 2014, Ages 3-5; BuzzFeed 2014 Best Books, Picture Books
Mr. Matisse and His Cutouts
Author: Annemarie van Haeringen (trans. By Jan Michael)
Illustrator: Annemarie van Haeringen
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
My Colors/Mis Colores
Author: Rebecca Emberley
Illustrator: Rebecca Emberley
Publisher: LB Kids/Little, Brown & Company (Board Book)
Recommended Age Range: 1 to 3
Red: A Crayon’s Story
Author: Michael Hall
Illustrator: Michael Hall
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
We’ve all heard: Don’t judge a book by its cover, but a crayon by its wrapper? Well, actually, yes. In Michael Hall’s terrific book Red: A Crayon’s Story, “red” is actually, and obviously, blue – except to those who seem to know him best. Yet, it is only when a new friend “sees” him for himself does everyone else, including “red,” understand who he really is. A brilliant book on not just accepting, but embracing who you really are, no matter the “label.”
Awards: Goodreads Choice Awards 2015, Picture Books; Booklist Best Picture Books of 2015; Amazon.com Best Books of the Year 2015, Ages 3-5; Booklist Lasting Connections, 2015; 2016 CCBC Choices-Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; 2016 Rainbow List, Picture Books; Irma Black Award, 2016 Finalist; 2016 E.B. White Read-Aloud Award, Picture Book
The Black Book of Colors
Author: Menena Cottin (translated by Elisa Amado)
Illustrator: Rosana Faria
Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 10
Website
The Black Book of Colors is an amazing story told from the perspective of a boy who is blind. Written in print, as well as braille, this book’s illustrations are seen only through touch and a bit of light. A wonderful reminder that all of our senses allow us to see.
Awards: 2008 New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books; 2008 Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth; Booklist’s Top 10 Art Books for Youth, 2008; 2008 School Library Journal’s Best Books, Picture Book; NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts 2009; Winner – New Horizons Prize at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, 2007
The Blue Hour
Author: Isabelle Simler
Illustrator: Isabelle Simler
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
The Day the Crayons Quit
Author: Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Philomel Books, an Imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
Website
A laugh-out-loud story about crayon “drama,” shown through a series of letters, from each of the frustrated crayons. Wonderful illustrations enhance the hilarious writing and the all-important lesson: When it comes to creativity, it’s best to think outside the (crayon) box. ☺
Awards: 2015 Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner; Amazon Best Children’s Book of 2013; 2014 ALA Notable Book; Children’s Book Council – The Children’s Choice Book Award (K-2nd grade category); E.B. White Read-Aloud Winner; A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2013; Globe and Mail Best Kids’ Books of 2013; Goodreads’ 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year; Amazon.com Best Books of the Year 2015, Ages 3-5; Booklist Lasting Connections, 2015; 2016 CCBC Choices-Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; 2016 Rainbow List, Picture Books
The Day the Crayons Came Home
Author: Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Philomel Books, an Imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
Website
The crayon’s lament continues in this hilarious new book by the creators of The Day the Crayons Quit; this time, however, it’s a whole new cast of “colorful” characters (well almost – there are some cameos). And while the means of communication has changed – it’s postcards instead of letters – with, of course, another set of problems, these crayons are sure to make you laugh and maybe wonder…where did I leave that crayon? ☺
Awards: Goodreads Choice Awards Best Picture Book 2015; A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2015/A TIME Magazine Top 10 Children’s Book of 2015; A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2015!; A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year!
The White Book: A Minibombo Book
Author: Silvia Berando, Elisabetta Pica, and Lorenzo Clerici
Illustrator: Silvia Berando, Elisabetta Pica, and Lorenzo Clerici
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Recommended Age Range: 2 to 5
A white wall invites creativity when a little boy, a big paintbrush, and an unlimited imagination come together to make a colorful – and surprising display – of some of nature’s most beloved creatures.