Color Zoo: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner

I loved this book (1) because it uses primary colors which my daughter adores (2) the animals are very imaginative (3) it teaches so many things (4) it's cardboard, almost impossible for my one year old to destroy. The excerpts this site gives you doesn't do it any justice. It's very hard to see what it's really like. I suggest going to a bookstore and picking it up to flip through it so you really understand. I think it's brillant!

My daughter (who is only one) loves to flip through this book and look at the different colors and shapes. Because each page has a shape cut out of it, this makes the pages easy for her to grasp and flip. Out of all of her board books, I find myself reaching for his one time and time again because it occupies her the longest. In contrast to some books that she will barely look at and others she will look at only with my direction, this book is one that she will find all on her own and quietly flip through the pages.Even for me, I find the concept simple but mesmerizing. There is something fascinating about looking at the shape and seeing how the animal changes into a different animal as you flip the page. It makes you think about shapes and colors in a very abstract way. I would definitely recommend this book as a foundational block in any young child's library. The book itself is sturdy and the colors are bold and vivid. It's a great concept that's been executed effectively.

I like this book because the animals are simplified, almost abstract and at first my daughter(2)couldn't recognize them (she was used of more or less realistic illustrations). I think this is very important in recognazing and understanding the basic characterizations of all subjects. Each animal has on the opposite side the geometric shape that the animal is composed of. At first this is very difficult for a two year old (specially octagon and hexagon) but I must say she recognize almost all of them now (2 weeks later). For me english books with almost no text are interesting also because I can teach her foreign language. I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience more than just reading stories to children.

This small children's book uses colors and shapes made from die-cut pages to show animal faces. Pre-schoolers can learn about geometrical shapes, about colors, and about animals. And, they all love this book. The book was a 1990 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a children's book.