My Box of Color

"My Box of Color" is a wonderfully educational book! Using a childlike "what if...??" view of the world, the author takes commonplace items and puts them under the "toddler microscope", so to speak. If flowers were the same color as grass, for example, would bees still be interested in them?? If we change the color of this friendly cat, would it still be so friendly?? If a boat was the same color as the water, would it still float?? AND, most importantly, if I were a different color, would you still like me??The beautiful, Eric Carle-like cut paper illustrations are worth the price of the book itself, but it's the message and fun in the book that will make it a treasure worth reading again and again. WHAT IF we could change colors of ordinary, common things?? What if the mailbox was Pleasing Purple instead of Boring Blue?? What if we could change the sky to bubble gum pink?? What if, what if, what if...?? This line of thinking will appeal to young children, especially those who, in their own artwork, find themselves entertaining Dr. Seussian fantasy lands of orange oceans, green skys and purple-haired people. The chance to identify colors and shapes and objects will appeal to caregivers and readers who want to introduce or evaluate color identification in young children. BUT, most of all, the last two pages where the author asks about "my" color--"what if I wasn't the color I was meant to be/would you still be my friend? Would you still like me?"-- are the most important ideas we can give to our children.