Children's Book Review: Pink is for Boys By Robb Pearlman - Summer Read-to-Learn Series

PINK IS FOR BOYS

By: Robb Pearlman

Illustrated by: Eda Kaban

Published: June 5, 2016

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Fiction


Your gender doesn't have to dictate what colors you like. Both of our sons enjoy wearing pink dress shirts or vibrant colored ties. Girls are allowed to choose any color as a favorite, but if a boy says he likes pinks or purples, there is sure to be laughter and jeering.  But, this book isn't as much about fashion and instead, more about stopping the gender stereotypes early in young children.

Pearlman offers simple verse to take children through the colors of the rainbow and making sure that children find the joy in every color. Whether it's red race cars or black and white puppies and kitties, colors can be fun for everyone. Kaban's illustrations are super fun and her characters on the pages are delightful. Even though the book is a paperback, the pages are glossy and a heavy quality.

All the colors are for everyone and you don't have to stay in the "gender box" to choose your favorite. You can even change your favorite color every day if you want. This book introduces colors to your child early and offers an opportunity for kids to choose any color to be their favorite.

Robb Pearlman - source

Robb Pearlman is the author of many books, including GROUNDHOG'S DAY OFF. Today, his favorite color is blue, but it may be purple tomorrow! He grew up in New York City and now lives in a white and green house in New Jersey with his husband and Oscar, the butterscotch-colored best puppy in the world.

Eda Kaban was born and raised in Turkey and has had a passion for drawing, reading, and monkey bars since a young age. She is the illustrator of a number of books and when she's not drawing, you can find her climbing rocks or biking the hills of the Bay area. She and her husband live in Oakland, California.

All summer I'll be sharing books for children and youths that are great choices to keep your children interested in reading and learning. These may be books that encourage reading, play, and kindness as well as keeping kids interested in science and history all while continuing to read. The summer slide is real and teachers will appreciate kids that continue to keep their minds active along with their bodies.

I will be linking up this review on Booking Mama's regular Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. This is a place for bloggers to share posts related to children's and YA books. You will find spotlights, reviews, and sometimes even giveaways by clicking HERE, every Saturday.

Other books you may be interested in:

Colorama

Somebunny Loves Me

Duck and Hippo: Lost and Found

One to Ten Squirrel's Bad Day


Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. 

Children's Book Review: Colorama By Cruschiform - Summer Read-to-Learn Series

COLORAMA
From Fuchsia to Midnight Blue

By: Cruschiform

Published: March 20, 2018

Publisher: Prestel

Non-Fiction

One of the first things you teach a young child is color. You point out the grass and the sky and the ball explaining the color and asking your child to then define items by color. This thick book takes the various shades of 133 colors and gives them a name and an identifier. By offering descriptions, children will start to notice the slight differences in the shades from the white of milk to the white of a cotton flower. There is a difference. The book follows the shades of the rainbow order, white to pink to red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple to brown to black and grey. Then each of those basic colors has various shades of them, like Blue Shell, the blue-green of a robin's egg or Security Yellow, the yellow of a school bus.

Each color is given two pages, one page includes a photo of the item in the color described along with an explanation. The second page is a full-rectangle of the color. Flipping through the pages fast offers the reader a rainbow flipping in front of their eyes.

Colorama - Poppy 

The descriptions not only offer the color but why that color is the chosen color for that item. It could be a biological reason like Pink Flamingo is that shade of pink because of the shrimp the flamingo eats or because a color like the name Bluebonnet was chosen for the Texas flower because it was similar to the headwear of pioneering women.

I found this book so fascinating. As an adult, we see color all day long, but don't think about the various shades of that color. How school bus yellow is different from the yellow of an egg yolk or the pollen yellow in a flower. In this summer season where our world is bursting with color from the flowers in our yard, to the amazing sunsets at night to the bugs and frogs and popsicles and candy, children can notice the various differences and then look up the colors when they get home.

This is a book that would also be perfect for artists, decorators, or fashion designers looking for that perfect color. Think of it as a paint palette in a book or use it for inspiration when choosing a color. The end of the book offers an index of every color as well as a thematic index like modes of transport, precious stones, birds, or flowers, for example.

Cruschiform is a Paris-based creative studio that specializes in illustration and graphic design. It was founded in 2007 by Marie-Laure Cruschi. In researching for this book, the author used her childhood memories to guide her. Much like a scent or a sound can take you back to a place and time, so can a color. For me, the pink of a Star Gazer Lily will remind me of the flowers at my Aunt Emily's home and the love I felt there. This book has been meticulously researched and is a treasure. For more on Cruschiform, check out their website, HERE.

Marie-Laure Cruschi Quote from COLORAMA

To purchase a copy of COLORAMA, click the photo below:

All summer I'll be sharing books for children and youths that are great choices to keep your children interested in reading and learning. These may be books that encourage reading, play, and kindness as well as keeping kids interested in science and history all while continuing to read. The summer slide is real and teachers will appreciate kids that continue to keep their minds active along with their bodies.

I will be linking up this review on Booking Mama's regular Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. This is a place for bloggers to share posts related to children's and YA books. You will find spotlights, reviews, and sometimes even giveaways by clicking HERE, every Saturday.

Other books you may be interested in:

Anna and Johanna

First Stories Fairy Tale Books and Beauty and the Beast Coloring Book

Putter and the Red Car

Nalah and the Pink Tiger



Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.