Color Me Blue

The author of this beautifully illustrated book explores color and perspective, as print characters suddenly come to life on the page. It all starts with the unseen illustrator who is just about to finish painting the scene, with only the barnyard left to complete. Next, a little white chicken pictured on the page decides she wants to help. Suddenly, blue paint is everywhere and spreading fast! First on the chicken, then over purple pansies, next-turning yellow ducks blue, splattering the cat and even pouring over the pages that follow. How can chicken undo her mistake and turn everything back the way it was before? Children will love finding out what happens next.

With minimal text, the illustrations really help tell most of the story. This is the perfect type of book to sit and have a conversation about with your child. For younger children, start by pointing at the different animals and asking, "What's this?" Expand on what your child says. If she says, "A white chicken" you might say, "Yes, a white chicken looking at a bottle of blue paint." If you think your child is ready, start asking more open ended questions such as, "What is chicken doing?" "How do you think the other animals feel now that they are blue?" "What can chicken do to clean up the blue paint?" Having a conversation about the pictures in a book is a great way to increase your child's language skills, build critical thinking and help him understand what is going on in the story. Most importantly, sharing and talking about books will help build an even stronger bond between you and your child.

Miss~Mary