A RAINBOW ALL AROUND ME

All the colors of the rainbow come alive in the photographs of children celebrating the emotions that color can evoke. Chewy gooey pink; cool rugged blue; cinnamony sweet red; and wild and crazy purple surround the bubble gum-popping, denim-wearing, candy-licking, jam-eating children in this not-so-traditional look at color. Each double-page spread depicts one child embracing the attitudes that can be invoked by a particular color. The rainbow theme stretches beyond the study of color to embrace the multicultural rainbow of diversity that the children represent. The statement “Colors are you. Colors are me” is repeated every so often to drive home this idea. Unfortunately, some of the connections are a little bit of a stretch and not easily represented in a photograph. So, orange is defined as “Fruity” and shown as a child dropping an orange slice into his mouth; “Tangy” and it’s the child biting into the slice. Green says “Fresh” and shows a girl putting a tablecloth on the grass. These odd pairings don’t detract, just mystify. Spare text with a poetic beat carries the reader from page to page, but the close-up photographs of the many children take center stage. Though slightly garbled, the message is worthwhile. (Picture book. 3-7)