An inventive, kid-friendly introduction to color mixing.
Colorful balloons interact and eventually create a rainbow in the sky in this picture book.
When a lonely red balloon floats away in search of “another balloon to talk and play with,” he is thrilled when he encounters a yellow one. After they pass each other, Red and Yellow are shocked when an orange balloon materializes. Soon, “twin Blue Balloons” appear as well. The primary-colored balloons notice that when certain pairings occur, new figures turn up. For example, “Yellow and Blue had danced together and made a Green Balloon.” The balloons joyfully dance with one another until suddenly a loud noise occurs: “POP! All the balloons exploded!” Now, fragments of color sprinkle the sky. The text explains that this blast resulted in a “beautiful…Rainbow” and that if “someday, if you should see a rainbow in the sky—maybe it was made by some lonely Balloons dancing and playing together!” Miller’s descriptive but straightforward story familiarizes readers with color mixing in an imaginative and approachable manner. Through visual representations of primary and secondary color examples, youngsters will glean basics such as “Red and Yellow making Orange/Yellow and Blue making Green/Blue and Red making Purple.” The author’s full-page illustrations feature bright orange backdrops with line-drawn elements like simple trees. The saturated balloons have simple and friendly facial expressions. Some scenes feature watercolor details like splotches of blue clouds, the sun, and a lovely, soft rainbow arch at the end.
An inventive, kid-friendly introduction to color mixing.Pub Date: April 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-66570-032-0
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.
The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.
Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780593621110
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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