Children’s Book Review: Colorama By Cruschiform – Summer Read-to-Learn Series

COLORAMA
From Fuchsia to Midnight Blue

By: Cruschiform

Published: March 20, 2018

Publisher: Prestel

Non-Fiction

One of the first things you teach a young child is color. You point out the grass and the sky and the ball explaining the color and asking your child to then define items by color. This thick book takes the various shades of 133 colors and gives them a name and an identifier. By offering descriptions, children will start to notice the slight differences in the shades from the white of milk to the white of a cotton flower. There is a difference. The book follows the shades of the rainbow order, white to pink to red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple to brown to black and grey. Then each of those basic colors has various shades of them, like Blue Shell, the blue-green of a robin’s egg or Security Yellow, the yellow of a school bus.

Each color is given two pages, one page includes a photo of the item in the color described along with an explanation. The second page is a full-rectangle of the color. Flipping through the pages fast offers the reader a rainbow flipping in front of their eyes.

Colorama – Poppy

The descriptions not only offer the color but why that color is the chosen color for that item. It could be a biological reason like Pink Flamingo is that shade of pink because of the shrimp the flamingo eats or because a color like the name Bluebonnet was chosen for the Texas flower because it was similar to the headwear of pioneering women.

I found this book so fascinating. As an adult, we see color all day long, but don’t think about the various shades of that color. How school bus yellow is different from the yellow of an egg yolk or the pollen yellow in a flower. In this summer season where our world is bursting with color from the flowers in our yard, to the amazing sunsets at night to the bugs and frogs and popsicles and candy, children can notice the various differences and then look up the colors when they get home.

This is a book that would also be perfect for artists, decorators, or fashion designers looking for that perfect color. Think of it as a paint palette in a book or use it for inspiration when choosing a color. The end of the book offers an index of every color as well as a thematic index like modes of transport, precious stones, birds, or flowers, for example.

Cruschiform is a Paris-based creative studio that specializes in illustration and graphic design. It was founded in 2007 by Marie-Laure Cruschi. In researching for this book, the author used her childhood memories to guide her. Much like a scent or a sound can take you back to a place and time, so can a color. For me, the pink of a Star Gazer Lily will remind me of the flowers at my Aunt Emily’s home and the love I felt there. This book has been meticulously researched and is a treasure. For more on Cruschiform, check out their website, HERE.

Marie-Laure Cruschi Quote from COLORAMA

To purchase a copy of COLORAMA, click the photo below:

All summer I’ll be sharing books for children and youths that are great choices to keep your children interested in reading and learning. These may be books that encourage reading, play, and kindness as well as keeping kids interested in science and history all while continuing to read. The summer slide is real and teachers will appreciate kids that continue to keep their minds active along with their bodies.

I will be linking up this review on Booking Mama’s regular Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. This is a place for bloggers to share posts related to children’s and YA books. You will find spotlights, reviews, and sometimes even giveaways by clicking HERE, every Saturday.

Other books you may be interested in:

Anna and Johanna

First Stories Fairy Tale Books and Beauty and the Beast Coloring Book

Putter and the Red Car

Nalah and the Pink Tiger

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.