Review Detail

In rhyming couplets, this engaging board board introduces young readers to different colors in a variety of pictures. Outside, red is leaves, a hen, and rosy cheeks. Blue is a cozy bedroom with a rug and blanket. Brown is a range of delicious baked goods. At the bottom of each verse, there are three different shades of the color (brick, ruby, scarlet; sky, cobalt, navy), and underneath the illustration are three questions that encourage children to find and count items in the pictures. This is the third book in this Workman series, with the first being the ABCs, and the second being Shapes.

Having children interact with pictures in books is a great way to encourage language development and visual skills, and having questions to start these conversations is not something I have seen much. From a color perspective, I adored the fact that different shades were named; it's a joke with my daughters that they can name any color, and I can describe the slight variations, so having a book like this to use with a grandchild makes me very happy.

The pictures alternate between outside and in, with a range of settings and seasons. There are also a good selection of different ethnicities, body types, and age of people depicted. There are lots of children, but also two men having a picnic with a pair of elementary aged children, a baker, and an older man ice skating and pushing a sleigh, which was great represenation of active aging.

I enjoyed this board book so much that I may seek out the other titles. Brown's The Color Kittens was always a favorite in my household, so add My First Brain Quest: Colors to a palette that includes Boynton's Blue Hat, Green Hat, Prasadam-Halls' Show Your Colors, and Takeuchi Paper Peek: Colors.