Red, Yellow, Blue

by Charles George Esperanza

Splish! Splash! Sploosh! A little girl is about to discover the wonders of mixing colors. With the sound of paint splatter, a bright blue elephant named EleBooyah enters the scene. She wants to help paint, too, and pretty soon the girl and her elephant are playing with all the colors of the rainbow. What do blue and yellow make? A funky green frog! And red and blue? An enormous purple octopus king! What other creatures are waiting for the splatter of paint on a brush to join the raucous painting party?

Charles George Esperanza’s author/illustrator debut is a riot of color and magic. Esperanza's rhythmic stanzas and vibrant illustrations tickle the imagination, and this is sure to become a staple color book for kids across the country.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, African American, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Charles George Esperanza, illustrator of Jackie and Me, was born the second of six kids. The South Bronx is where he first opened his eyelids. A land shrouded in bright colored decay, the birthplace of graffiti and the hip-hop DJ! He paints fantasy worlds of elephants, and castles too! Accompanying this wonder is some promising truth. Charles has a voice that is seldom heard. A fusion of jazz, distorted guitars, and chirping birds.

Reviews

[Regina L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Budding artists, get ready for a big splash of color coming your way! Join a little girl on a journey to discover a palette of mixing, mashing colors! With a splatter of paint off her brush she creates creatures that help her form more and more colors from the ones she already is using! First she splatters some blue to create a painting elephant named EleBooyah! Then her imagination grows wilder, as the red and blue the use, not only make the color purple, but form a purple octopus king! This book is a great introduction to the primary colors and what colors form when they are mixed together (i.e. blue + yellow = green). This book celebrates diversity of characters and colors and is a big splash of messy fun! Join the painting party and pick up this book! Read more at www.diapers-and-daydreams.com !

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! This book has color! A girl mixes paint- red, yellow, and blue, with a dash of white, too- to make other colors! She paints a blue elephant, a green frog, an orange basketball, a pink dinosaur, a purple octopus, and a greenish gray mud monster!
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This book has a lot going on visually. Swirls of color cover each page. I like that there are also sounds to say aloud- Splish, Splash, Sploosh! And Swirl, Splatter, Splot! All the sounds of painting. The text rhymes in places and the color words (orange, pink, blue) are printed in their actual color. The little girl is obviously enjoying herself and her vibrant painted creations. Her enthusiasm for color will be contagious for all who read this book!

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations. The words- eh. But I don't think the words are the point :) Every part of me wants to give this book three stars (which says I liked it), but I cannot give it less than four! This is pretty huge for me because while I LOVE and appreciate beautiful illustrations, I am so moved by words and use words (and books) in my teaching, and really weigh heavily on words for my ratings. Still, I cannot give this less than four stars. The illustrations are that beautiful and inspiring (inspiring creativity!) Will definitely share this one with my school's art teacher!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious experimentation in color, art, and joy! A little girl with a paintbrush discovers the joy of mixing colors. Blue and yellow make a green frog that jumps across the page and she continues using other colors to explore and create. The language is rhythmic and full of life. Recommended for ages 4 - 6.

[Sara Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my Mock Caldecott 6th graders and we really liked the wild story and the art that matched.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the color and movement on the pages. Fun story.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

diverse picture book (colors/preschool 2-6)
* Book prominently features diverse characters: Yes, the main character is a very lively and active African American preschool-aged girl, with a skin color that matches the author/illustrator's.
* Book would work for a preschool storytime: I think so, though I would caution the reader to read it through once before storytime, as some of the text placements are a little unexpected. The rhythm of the text is such that I keep thinking it will rhyme, and when it doesn't rhyme it throws me off just a bit--so yes, a pre-readthrough is necessary. The illustrations are exceptionaly vibrant and attention-grabbing, so no problems there. I have not tested this with an actual preschool audience, but suspect some kids might be distracted by all of the animals and action going on (I can picture them wanting to comment on everything, which would maybe make this work better as a one-on-one reading for some kids), while veteran storytimer kids will just take it all in and enjoy a vibrant story.
* Book would fit with the "colors" theme. Or possibly an "animals" theme, but it is mostly a color-concept book, with the mixing of primary colors plus the creation of pink (white + red) and greenish gray/grayish-brownish (all the colors together).


See also EverydayDiversity.com: http://www.everydaydiversity.com/2016/07/july-round-up-new-racially-diverse.html

[Shelby Barnicle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red, yellow, blue (and a Dash of White, Too!) by Charles George Esperanza is an informative and educational concept picture book for children. The book explains what happens in the formation of colors when the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue are mixed with each other or the color white. Each time a new color is formed there is a creature or object of that color displayed on the page using that color. The illustrations are more realistic when it comes to the illustration of the little girl and animals like the elephant, frog, and octopus but more creative when it comes to the dinosaur and ugly mud monster. The book involves a little girl which already can make the book relatable but then also includes animals and bright colors that children may find interest in and seem more drawn into this book. I believe this book could be informational and useful when teaching children about colors and mixing them, perhaps this book could even be used in an art room for educational purposes.

[Joseph Ghione · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic by Charles George Esperanza. Do not expect anything other than an extravagant combination of vibrant illustrations and a wild imaginative story. A little girl discovers the freedom of imagination by painting animals alive. She paints a slew of exotic animals alive such as zebras, lions, elephants, and frogs. The storyline compliments Esperanza's illustrations beautifully for an amazing picture book and would be great for helping students with animal and color recognition! Check it out.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for a lapsit book on colors.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl is enjoying a fun exploration of prime colours and what colours you get when you mix them together.

[Lydia Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was really great until it got to the end and called the blob monster "ugly". Not the type of message I want to teach my child.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautifully illustrated picture books I have seen. I love children's books about mixing different colors. Featuring an adorable child of color himself who invokes a joy that you cannot help but share as you watch the adventure.

[Meghan Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the energy and vibrancy in this book.