Living Color

by Steve Jenkins

Red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink—animals can be startlingly colorful. Why are they found in so many shades, tints, and hues? From the scarlet ibis to the blue-tongued skink, award-winning author/illustrator Steve Jenkins depicts a whole world of colorful animals in his signature style. Living Color explores a range of animals from old favorites like the pink flamingo to rare and fascinating creatures such as the long-wattled umbrella bird and the ringed caecilian. How do the brilliant feathers, scales,shells, and skin of these animals help them survive? Find out in this strikingly beautiful book how animals use color to warn predators, signal friends, attract a mate, or hide from their enemies.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Science, Nature, Biology

26 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2007

About the author

Steve was born in 1952 in Hickory, North Carolina. His father, who would become a physics professor and astronomer (and recently his co-author on a book about the Solar System), was in the military and, later, working on science degrees at several different universities. We moved often. Steve lived in North Carolina, Panama, Virginia, Kansas, and Colorado. Wherever he lived, he kept a menagerie of lizards, turtles, spiders, and other animals, collected rocks and fossils, and blew things up in his small chemistry lab.

Because he moved often, Steve didn't have a large group of friends, and he spent a lot of time with books. His parents read to him until he could read himself, and he became an obsessive reader.

His interest in science led me to believe that I'd be a scientist himself. At the last minute, he chose instead to go to art school in North Carolina, where he studied graphic design. After graduation he moved to New York City, where he worked in advertising and design, first in large firms and then with his wife, Robin Page, in their own small graphic design firm. Robin, also an author and illustrator, is his frequent collaborator — they've made sixteen children's books together.

Their daughter Page was born in 1986 and our son, Alec, two years later. They began reading to them when they were just a few months old, and Steve became interested in making children's books himself. My wife and I read to our two older children almost every night until hisdaughter was 12 or 13, long after they were reading on their own. It was, in many ways, the best part of the day.

In 1994 they moved to from New York City to Boulder, Colorado, where they work in a studio attached to their house, which was built in the 1880s and often functions as if it were still the 19th century.

Their youngest son, Jamie, was born in 1998. The questions his children asked over the years have been the inspiration for many of their books.

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW OF THE KINDLE EDITION

Fun, informative (and thankfully, unlike with some of Steve Jenkins' picture books, a decently enough rendered Kindle format, although indeed, the accompanying illustrations are aesthetically a bit too small for my ageing eyes, are not really large enough and detailed enough as an e-book), Living Colour has been a generally pleasant and even for myself quite educational and enlightening reading experience. And yes, I do find the separated into colours animal species visually delightful and the information provided by author and illustrator Steve Jenkins not only educational but also penned in an approachable and engaging manner, in other words, never monotonous, never tedious and in my humble opinion also sure to retain the interest and not to tax the attention span of the intended age group of older children from about the age of seven or so onwards (but of course, Living Colour is also not just for children either, but equally something for interested teenagers and adults).

Now I were just to be rating Living Colour for what Steve Jenkins has penned concerning the animal species featured (both within the text proper and in the supplemental information and details section), I would most likely be ranking Living Colour (and sorry, but I am going to and without contrition be spelling colour in the Canadian/British manner) with five stars (as the combination of Jenkins' informative narrative and his bright and descriptive collage like accompanying artwork is truly and utterly spectacular). However, I do very much wish that the included bibliography with suggestions for further reading were a bit more visually prominent, as when I first read Living Colour I in fact totally missed it and actually assumed that Steve Jenkins had not included a bibliography (and indeed, I was actually almost going to be granting only three stars for Living Colour until I realised that there indeed is a bibliography included but that it is just not all that easily and readily visible).

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a picture book but it’s not a storybook. It’s an informative textbook/encyclopedia type picture book length book about animals and the meaning of their colors. The paintings are beautiful and, yes, very colorful.

Red, Blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, and pink are covered. All sorts of scientific facts and tidbits about various types of fauna are given. It shows these animals and how they use color to communicate or hide. I didn’t find the text presentation scintillating but it could be fascinating for children who are interested in science, biology, and especially zoology, and could even attract the curiosity of budding young artists, although I can think of many better books for children interested in color, art and creating art.

I did learn quite a few facts about specific animals.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a bit more involved than other Steve Jenkins books I've read. It has a LOT more text, but still the same amazing cut-paper collage illustrations that we've come to expect from Steve Jenkins. He goes through the colors red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, and pink, giving details of many animals sporting those colors and what those colors mean in the animal world. There are also two pages giving additional details about animal color, and an index at the end with more details about each animal shown in the book. A great book for older students.

Some facts I learned:

* No one knows why robins' eggs are such an extraordinary shade of blue.

* The Portuguese man-of-war is really a colony of thousands of smaller animals called polyps.

* The common cuttlefish can "hypnotize" shrimp and small fish with a mesmerizing display of changing colors. They stop to stare and the cuttlefish grabs them with its long tentacles.

* If there are no males around, a female parrotfish can change sex. The new male fish signals the change by turning bright pink, red, or yellow.

* Humans and other primates are among the few mammals that can see a wide range of colors. Almost all insects, amphibians, fish, reptiles, and birds have good color vision.

* A group of jellyfish is called a smack.

* The Malaysian cherry-red centipede is large enough to eat the occasional lizard or mouse!

[Christine Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terms of use
Red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink-animals can be startlingly colorful. Why are they found in so many shades, tints, and hues? From the scarlet ibis to the blue-tongued skink, award-winning author/illustrator Steve Jenkins depicts a whole world of colorful animals in his signature style. Living Color explores a range of animals from old favorites like the pink flamingo to rare and fascinating creatures such as the long-wattled umbrella bird and the ringed caecilian. How do the brilliant feathers, scales,shells, and skin of these animals help them survive? Find out in this strikingly beautiful book how animals use color to warn predators, signal friends, attract a mate, or hide from their enemies.

[Mandy Meirink · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction picture book is anything but boring. It is set up as an informational book rather than a story book, but author Steve Jenkins takes the reader through several different colors of animals. I learned quite a bit from this book. The author’s style was definitely to inform and he did a great job at it. Each spread had beautiful illustrations that were in the color Jenkins discussed on that page. Definitely give this book a read if you are interested in the nonfiction genre.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've read several books by Steve Jenkins recently and we have enjoyed his style of combining short, factual bits of information with colorful, mixed-media illustrations.

This is an entertaining book that highlights how color is used in nature - how different colors are used for camouflage, warning, attractiveness, and identification. The illustrations are just as wonderful as we've come to expect in his books.

The narrative is rather long, so we only read a color or two each night. The end of the book features a section that gives additional information about each animal in the book and we enjoyed reading several of our favorites. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Mary Anjali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very informational and very easy to read, giving lots of vibrant pictures. There is also a little bit of humor added in for captions underneath the pictures to make it seem like the animals are talking.

This book as all of the informational features and would be great to launch for perhaps a Science unit, adaptations, environment, life cycles etc. Also, it would peak students interest if they were to do a report on an animal, (insect, mammal, amphibian, reptile) of their choice. This would also be a great book to do a categorization lesson and put certain animals with their habitats and place them in the correct locations on a map. (Social Studies)

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since discovering Steve Jenkins' books through one of my Goodreads bookclubs, I have learned more information than I ever would! This one on animal colors and how their colors are used would be enjoyed by children and adults. The illustrations are wonderful as they are in all of his books. Additional information is always found at the back of the book for those readers who might really be into a topic. I am sorry that I hadn't found Jenkins' books when I was teaching. They are some of the best non-fiction books for children that I've ever read.

[Ma Jiani（Marjorie） · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artist Steve Jenkins examines the dynamic palette of the natural world in an interesting volume of information. Jenkins shows different animals according to their colors (red, blue, yellow, green, and orange, purple, pink). This book provides information about animals based on their colors. Actually, this book can be used as a book for social learning courses. It is a very good book. It can be used as a classification class and put the habitat of certain animals.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Jenkins. This one examines how animals use color...to warn predators to avoid them, to camouflage, to attract mates and for other purposes.

[Patricia Lamoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright, vivid colors, interesting, unique creatures, and a simple format give this nonfiction picture book a sure edge over other books. Separating the animals by color provides a visual categorization that helps them remember other details about them. Each cut-and-torn paper collage illustration is remarkably detailed and realistic. The information given about each one is educational and, more importantly, interesting. Jenkins uses engaging and accessible language that holds the attention span of little kids and is not condescending or boring for older readers either. While the younger readers will not likely understand the full implication of natural selection and how animals of these specific colors evolved, Jenkins offers them an introduction with which to begin that journey. He includes some supplemental information in a chart at the end of the book, putting further learning in the reader's hands- a sure tool for building self-confidence and taking learning into one's own hands.
One of my favorite things about this book was that although the depiction of the creatures is striking and exciting, the little snippets of information about them were even more so. In doing that, Jenkins reinforces the idea of looking deeper than just appearances and finding out what's behind the initial glimpse.
Geared towards kids aged 6-9 but fun for anyone who likes looking at beautifully illustrated animals and learning interesting tidbits about them!

[Rosa Guerrero]

Summary: This is a book about living Color. What it means by that is to show the our body's most valuable thing is the color of ourselves. In this book the social history of skin color to the present is presented in the book.

Illustrator: Steve Jenkins

Evaluations of text and illustrations: Throughout the book each page is presented with a different color. Their are things such as red, green, or blue animals or objects. The colors are presented in each page with a description of how that color is significant to the particular item or animal. The white background makes the main color pop out, and the title as well is the color being talked about.

Strategies for the classroom: Grade levels of K–2 would fit perfect with this book. Having an animal study could be a good study for the environment. Going to a farm with the entire class can be a good ideas so students can see a view closer to the animals and their colors.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. This was fine to read by myself, but I'm not sure how it works with an actual kid. It's very text heavy so I'd look for an older kid, but the organization by color comes across a bit as "learn your colors" which means younger kid. Each animal gets an explanation of what the color does, which is interesting and good science, except I find myself questioning how many are best guess fables and how many are documented. Ironically, it was the frank admission that no one knows why robin eggs are so beautifully blue that got me wondering, and then I became suspicious. So I don't trust the information, which is the worst kind of nonfiction. Probably unfair, but that's how it was.

[Charles Harold · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful look into color use in the animal kingdom and what they mean

This highly educational picture book by Jenkins is a must have for any classroom. He is able to present the many different reasons animals use certain colors in an easy to understand way while at the same time not dumbing it down for the reader.

With beautiful imagery and bountiful knowledge I can't recommend this book enough

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the back cover it is noted that Steve Jenkins's books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, informative. I say, "YES!!!"

[aarifa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Good for anyone who wants to know what color means for animals. Good resource in the classroom, too.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, informative book about colours in nature - birds and animals and how colour is used to their advantage. Five pages of extra information at the back of the book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and easily understood for kids.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Eva_Amaré · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why are there so many words? Much too long for us at this age, but cool book for future reference. 🐛🦀🐟🐡

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative for older children but the colors are great for younger children, too

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific collages of animals and great information about how they use color to stay alive, find food and protect themselves. Another great book by this author!

[Melissa McMaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows how animals use different colors as a survival strategy. There are several examples of animals that use each color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink) for varying strategies for survival (such as attracting a mate or blending in to the environment). The book ends with an explanation of how these survival strategies works and how animals developed their color schemes.
Living Color uses accurate descriptions of different animals and why they use color as an advantage for survival. There is a brief heading to each animal that catches your eye, and gives you an idea of what the survival strategy is, without even having to read the paragraph. The paragraphs provide descriptive explanations, and the name of the animal is bolded, so you can easily see what the animal is. The end of the book provides a chart as well that has additional information about each of these animals, such as size, habitat, and diet.
This book flows very well. The first page describes the purpose of the book, and also says that there is additional information about these animals in the back. This book categorizes the animals they describe by the color they are, and has the heading for the page and for each animal large and in the color that is being used. Before the chart of animals, the book concludes with more information about why animals use these various strategies, how animals came to be these colors, and even how lack of bright color is used to survive.
Living Color is a well-designed book. The animals are categorized by color, and the headings are also in that color font. There is an illustration for each animal described, and the description for each animal is either right next to or right below each picture. The pictures are created by cut-paper collages, and are fairly detailed.
This book definitely demonstrates the author’s enthusiasm for the subject of animal colors. The author describes the purpose for the color strategies, but also provides interesting facts about the animals (for example, that chameleons also use their color to express emotion). The headings for the animals are like an introduction to the animal, and are interesting and humorous. The information about the animals is interesting, but also factual. This style of book could be used for teaching a variety of subjects, like vocabulary, and science. This book can also appeal to various ages, because animals are fun to learn about, and based on reading abilities and interests, you could pick and choose what you want to look at and read.

[Ch_hayley Medsker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Jenkins’s Living Color can compare to a concept book for learners of all ages, a bit different audience than his usual young readers. The layout of this book is inviting and so creative, like many of Steve Jenkins’s works. This informational book is organized into subsequent spreads of rainbow colors, each section explaining the reasons behind animals’ brilliant colors. "If an animal is very colorful, it is likely that its brilliant skin, scales or feathers somehow help it stay alive." For instance, “Orange says…better not eat me or back off!” Each animal picture is accompanied by a small informational paragraph; it specifically links the animal’s color to survival tactics such as camouflage, mating, or a warning to keep predators at bay. The cut-paper medium that Jenkins typically implements provides rich texture and detail to each unique animal depicted. The selections of animals are inventive as well. The animals chosen will likely be new to young readers, and many will need to be introduced to older readers as well. I for one was not familiar with the white uakaris or the ringed caecilian prior to reading this text. My favorite part of the book is the back where a picture index is provided with more tidbits of information about the fascinating animals. Steve Jenkins’s texts featuring animals and their amazing abilities can be described as masterful, playful, extraordinary, engaging, accessible, and compelling.

[Jordan Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The colorful non-fiction book discovers unique animals and insects by separating them into color groups. First it discovers red animals from fish, to birds, to insects. It shows a picture of each animal while discussing unique facts about the animal and then describing how its color helps protect it in its habitat or helps them catch prey. The book then travels into each color: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple and pink. An example of an unusual fact this book describes is one in the green section about the green tiger beetle. Did you know this bug emits a gross tasting substance when they are threatened? Interesting facts such as this one attract student’s attention through out the entire book. After author, Jenkins, travels through animal’s unique traits and facts he then discusses the importance of colors in animals. The book explains how animal colors are created, evolved and cleaver strategies animals use to survive. Finally author has a neat chart of each animal describing his or her length, habitat and diet. This book is one that children would be attracted to and enjoy reading.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenkins takes readers on a tour of bright colors in the animal world and what the purpose of flashy colors can be. Each page spread includes about eight critters who use that color in a variety of ways. A sentence accompanies each animal, and further information about all the animals included can be found in the back of the book.

I was curious to look up some of the things that Jenkins stated in here, because they run contrary to what I’ve heard in the past. For example, that Viceroy butterflies are also toxic, not just Monarchs and in fact it turns out Jenkins did his research. I found this article about their mutual mimicry. So this one taught me a few things too. This is a more advanced colors picture book great for older kids and animal lovers. The illustrations are very eye-catching and the book is full of nice little animal facts.

[Genie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Jenkins is my favorite informational book author. He has written and illustrated books that simply grab anyone's attention.

This book provides information about animals based on their colors. For example, in the red section, he writes about the Malaysian cherry-red centipede that is a bright color to warn its predators that it is not pleasant to eat.

Simply riveting color, illustrations, and short yet informative texts provide readers with words that lead to natural exploration and curiosity. The design of the book, with its fascinating categories of animals based on colors is one way to help readers become fascinated with the text and information Jenkins provides. Jenkins also doesn't overload information onto its pages with lots of facts and information, but presents information that is concise, factual, and yet intriguing.

I recommend all of Jenkins' books. :)

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found one other book I wanted to share by Steve Jenkins that is amazing. This takes colors, two page spreads each, and highlights mostly unusual animals of that color, and tells why the animal is that color, and how the color is helpful in the animal’s life. There are beautiful illustrations of animals like the stonefish (red) that is the most poisonous fish in the world. Look for the red that looks like a lumpy rock or pieces of coral if you are walking in a shallow tropical sea, and don’t step on it! There is the yellow land-dwelling crab that blends in and those most interesting and beautiful green leafy sea dragon, which I’ve seen! It looks most like a piece of drifting seaweed. I was fascinated on every page in this book, finding both familiar and unfamiliar animals to learn about.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using vivid cut-paper illustrations to depict animals, insects, and sealife, Jenkins describes the many ways that color helps these creatures survive. The layout is arranged by color (2 spreads for red, blue, purple, etc); part of the fun is seeing how the same color does different things for different creatures (is red always a warning? or can it make some fish invisible?). An illustrated glossary at the end provides more information for each creature in the book, including size, habitat, and diet. Also - did you know that a group of jellyfish is called a smack? Fascinating.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly, I haven't really gotten into many of Steve Jenkins books even though everyone is always hooting and hollering about how awesome he is. Finally, I agree.

A look at all the different colors that appear in nature and why. The illustrations were awesome, the fact-filled paragraph was very interesting, and I love the little quote floating by each animal making a statement that explains the purpose of their color. Those were even funny. So this book has a bit of humor, vibrant illustrations, and stuff that makes you smarter. Loved it!