Except the Color Grey

by Arlene Alda

Arlene Alda has created several photo essays for very young readers, and this one, with its simple concept and clever presentation should sell as well as her very popular Did You Say Pears ?
A clever look at colors for the very young...

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2011

About the author

Arlene Alda graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hunter College, received a Fulbright Scholarship, and realized her dream of becoming a professional clarinetist, playing in the Houston Symphony under the baton of Leopold Stokowski. She switched careers when her children were young and became an award-winning photographer and author who has written nineteen books, including Just Kids from the Bronx. She is the mother of three daughters and the grandmother of eight. She and her husband, actor Alan Alda, live in New York City and Long Island.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gray vs. grey = the age-old debate. I'm still not sure where I stand, so I won't weigh-in on the issue. Especially since it's not relevant here. :) The story is simple, and I love the way she presents the colors as items in the world, giving them almost personalities of their own. I appreciate the way she allows the child to change their mind as to a favorite color, too. Honestly, my only complaint is that the story is rather clumsy to read. Unfortunately, that's a big issue here. Especially since the worst offender is right at the end, so you end the book on a bit of a down note. Still, it's creative and the photographs are lovely, so I won't discount it completely.

[Jessalyn Plant · Rating 3 out of 5]

The use of actual photos in this book is helpful for applying knowledge of colors to real life situations. It is bright and vivid. A cute little read.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The photographs of real world things for each color was nice, although the photos felt a bit dated. The text was just blah, and hard to get the right feel while reading.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alda's book is a good way to introduce colors in the real world. In the simple plot, the narrator asks the question, "Which color is my favorite?" and looks around discussing the different colors. At first the narrator claims not to like the color grey, but as he goes around looking at items of different colors (such as red flowers), the narrator realizes that grey actually is his favorite color, because it is the color of his bunny.

The book is very simply laid out, which will be a great benefit to young readers. There is a photograph on each page, and each double spread layout highlights a different color. The empty space surrounding the photograph is the color of focus, such as blue or yellow. Additionally, the text is is black, large, and in a sans serif font, which all contribute to ease of readability.

Overall, this book is a good choice for a collection aimed at young readers.

[Neha Amin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: This book is okay when it comes to the wording. It rhymes but, it is kind of awkward. I like the illustrations because they are very concrete and colorful. The author changes her statement at hte end. It seems at the beginning that she does not like grey but at the end she says that grey is her favorite color.

Utilization: The content of this book is colors. It is a basic book so I would use to start teaching about colors.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are gorgeous. The rhyming text a bit clunky at times. The statement? I'm not so sure. The narrator reverses their opinion of the color grey by the end of the book, but it's not quite clear what makes the difference.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I will paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful
Grey is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play"

[Christine Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arlene Alda has created several photo essays for very young readers, and this one, with its simple concept and clever presentation should sell as well as her very popular Did You Say Pears ? A clever look at colors for the very young...

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun pictures!

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is all about the photos!

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay but a little awkward for read aloud.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning, eye-popping photos and simple rhymes. Great for a color story time.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, the photos in this book work pretty well. (Grey is also one of my favorite colors, says my grey cat Molly.) But the text is clunky and hard to read, especially out loud.