The Color Wizard

by Barbara Brenner

Rhymed text and illustrations relate how Wizard Gray changed his very gray world with color.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Children will love laughing along with the toe-tapping verse and magical artwork of this easy-to-read page tumer as Wizard Gray paints his planet from castle door to sky in every color of the rainbow.

Genres: Fiction, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1989

About the author

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

Barbara Brenner is a respected, award-winning author, specializing in works of both juvenile fiction and nonfiction educational material that deals with animals, nature, and ecology. Her interests range from the natural world (i.e. Thinking about Ants) to American history (e.g. Wagon Wheels), all of which are reflected in the wide scope of her work. Brenner discussed with Contemporary Authors Online her influences and how they have affected her literary career, concluding that “all the circumstances of my life conspired to make me a writer--just lucky, I guess.”
Brenner was born Barbara Lawrence on June 26, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, to Robert Lawrence (a real estate broker) and Marguerite (Furboter) Johnes. Tragically, her mother died when Brenner was just a year old, and, according to Brenner, this has been a large influence on her career, with Contemporary Authors Online showing how this has added a certain level of “sensitivity” to her work. She also defines Brooklyn as a place which gave much “color” to her work, and where her father’s ambitions for her helped to develop Brenner’s intellectual curiosity.
Brenner attended Seton Hall College (now University) and Rutgers University from 1942-46, whilst also working as a copy editor at Prudential Insurance Co. from 1942 – 46. Her freelance work as an artist’s agent prepared her for a literary life, as after the birth of her two children she began work on her first book Somebody’s Slippers, Somebody’s Shoes, published in 1957. She followed this book with an educational picture book entitled Barto Takes the Subway, designed to improve reading comprehension and sight vocabulary.
Her artistic development continued when she began to collaborate with her husband, illustrator Fred Brenner, on The Flying Patchwork Quilt. Her next book, On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, was selected by School Library Journal as “The Best of the Best” among children’s books published over 26 seasons. In a review of On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, Paul Showers wrote in the New York Times Book Review that “Brenner again demonstrates her gift for invention and respect for facts . . . [it is] written in the polite but colloquial language of the frontier sketching in Audubon’s biographical background and recording events of the journey as they might have been observed by a serious, very perceptive 13- year-old.” One of her best-selling titles was Wagon Wheels (published in 1978), which deals with the trials and tribulations of a close-knit African American family. This true to life story is “exciting and realistic” according to Gisela Jernigan (writing in the children literature journal Booklist), and was named a 1978 American Library Association Notable Book.
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Brenner continued to publish, many of her works being influenced by the careers and interests of her sons. Speaking to Contemporary Authors Online Brenner explains that as their sons are both grown, and their respective careers as a “biologist . . . and musician” have both had an influence on her writing (i.e. Dinosaurium 1993). In 1986, Brenner was honored with the Pennsylvania School Librarians’ Association’s Outstanding Pennsylvania Author Award. Brenner’s most celebrated book is a collection entitled Voices: Poetry and Art from around the World, for which she was chief editor. This book received an ALA Notable Book for Children mention and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults award. According to the Horn Book Guide from Spring 2001, “more than three hundred and fifty poems from six continents evoke the specific and the universal” with contributions from both “celebrated and unknown poets, Nobel prize winners, and children” allowing the book to demonstrate Brenner’s skill in celebrating “place” and the “shared feelings” of the people about whom the book is written.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything is gray until the wizard gets bored and colors it.

This book would work both to teach toddlers the names of colors and to explain color interactions to somewhat older children. There is an explanation at the back (actually written by the illustrators, not the author, which seems odd) clarifying how the colors change one another; I think this would be very helpful for parents.

Although the illustrations are simpler and more cartoon-like than usual for the Dillons they are still very appealing.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical introduction to color. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane with the illustration style.

[Yates Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really cute. It begins in black and white and then eventually ends up in color. The book is all about different colors. As the book mentions the different colors, then you begin to see them in the pictures. It is about a wizard, so you might have to be careful about this with some of your students.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book that was created to help emerging young students learn their colors is nicely done, featuring some good artwork from the memorable illustrating duo of Leo & Diane Dillon. This book is probably worth a look even just for the illustrations. I would give it one and a half stars.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fair intro into the world of colors. Wizard Gray adds a bit of life to his world. Some explanation may be needed in discussing primary, secondary and tertiary colors and their creation. I think this book would probably be better on a larger scale.

[Annette Grantham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to both my children and they loved it.