COLORS

This French import is a matching game with sliding panels and scenes to play I Spy and other suggested activities.

Each verso presents a busy, colorful scene with animals engaged in human activities around a common theme, with such caption labels as “Vroom” (ground vehicles) or “At the Market.” The recto pages feature eight rectangular, easy-to-move sliding panels with one object depicted in four differently colored pairs. Little ones are encouraged to try four different activities with a caregiver: “Find a Pair” (a memory game with the sliding panels), “Look and Find” (a search in the larger scene for the object that’s pictured under the sliding panels), “Time to Hide” (hiding pairs of objects by sliding the panels one color at a time), and “I Spy” (naming objects of a particular color). While Mathy’s art is whimsically simplified and rendered in muted bold colors, some objects may be difficult for youngsters to name either due to their stylized depictions or readers’ unfamiliarity with them; the “spring riders” and the “spinner” (or merry-go-round) on the “At the Park” double-page spread, for instance, may be unfamiliar due to their scarcity on North American playgrounds. There is a wider array of color choices than in many color concept books, including beige, turquoise, and hot pink.

Despite a few foibles, it is a playful choice for toddlers.