SAMUEL TODD'S BOOK OF GREAT COLORS

In her first picture book, the author of the longest-titled Newbery Award and Newbery Honor books (both 1967) puts a cheerful new spin on a tried, and-true topic. All the rainbow colors are here, plus five others, but not in the usual order. Konigsburg begins with a four. page celebration of orange, dropping ideas to intrigue young minds ("a pumpkin is all orange, but not all orange is a pumpkin") and suggesting connections (the speckles on bananas "are brown like freckles"). And there's a nicely muted message here, climaxed by a row of kids in different sizes and colors, their faces a lot more similar in hue than their bright suspenders. Konigsburg is not a great artist, but she's a grand wordsmith, and her attractive illustrations suit her text perfectly. A useful, mildly provocative concept book.