Grab a coffee and a comfy seat (and if you’re like me, your reading glasses 😊 ) and get ready for some great reads, because today is Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I don’t know about you, but I find that there are so many good books I want to share that each week it’s a struggle to choose only one! But, given that we’re still in the early days of the new school year, I thought this was a good choice for today.

Title: Pink Is Not A Color

Written & Illustrated By: Lindsay Ward

Publisher: Two Lions (July 1, 2022), fiction but with lots of nonfiction facts

Suitable For Ages: 4-7

Themes/Topics: self-doubt, believing in yourself, feeling different

text and illustration copyright Lindsay Ward, 2022 Two Lions

Opening:
“Hey, Primaries,
what are you doing?”

“We’re getting ready
for the
Rainbow Extravaganza.”

“Hey, Pink.”

“Oooh.
That sounds like fun.
Can I help?”

“Totally.”

“Come on, dude!”

text and illustration copyright Lindsay Ward, 2022 Two Lions

Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “Pink loves her rosy world, from her pink toy dinosaur to her pet flamingo, Phil. But when she sees the Primaries and Secondaries getting ready for the Rainbow Extravaganza, she begins to wonder why she isn’t in the rainbow…and if that means she’s not really a color. Then she meets the Tints, and she’s even more confused. Luckily, a friend shows her the many ways she spreads joy―reminding Pink that she is truly one of a kind, rainbow or not.”

text and illustration copyright Lindsay Ward, 2022 Two Lions

Links To Resources: paint a rainbow; use different colors of finger paint to mix together and create new colors; go on a color scavenger hunt and find items of a certain color; gather colored pompoms, crayons, blocks, or other items and sort into piles by color; Color Activities For Toddlers and Preschool

text and illustration copyright Lindsay Ward, 2022 Two Lions

Why I Like This Book: From the creator of THIS BOOK IS GRAY (which I LOVE, and which I reviewed HERE) comes PINK IS NOT A COLOR, a book for anyone who has ever had self doubt or questioned their worth. Pink, who has never before questioned her place, comes upon the Primary Colors putting together their Rainbow Extravaganza party. They are happy to see her, to let her help them get ready, even to have her attend, but when she asks why she’s never heard of it before, they tell her, uncomfortably, that it’s because she’s not a color. Suddenly, she feels like she doesn’t fit in, or know who she is. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been in situations like that, and for a child who is experiencing it, this book is a welcome reminder that they are not alone in feeling that way. Of course [spoiler alert!] by the end of the book she has sorted things out and found her place and feels good about herself. But on the way, the story goes to another level where she meets the Tints, the Shades, and the Achromatic Colors. I don’t mind telling you, I had never thought about the tints and the shades not being colors, so the book is very educational as well 😊. There’s a little glossary in the front, but then you meet the colors, tints, and shades etc along the way and learn who they are. So it’s a book about color, but also about knowing who you are and feeling good about yourself. The art is so delightful. Cheery when cheer is called for, expressive when the mood changes, colorful all the way through, and with each character coming through as an individual. Fun for everyone! 😊

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊