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Vivid: Poems & Notes About Color
Playful poems and facts celebrate the colors of the rainbow in this nonfiction picture book.
Orange you sweet? Orange you plump and juicy? Orange you my favorite fruit?
Hey - you’re a tangerine!
B-lime-y.
With information about the science of sight and perception, pigment origins in art and textiles, colloquial expressions and word associations.
Orange you sweet? Orange you plump and juicy? Orange you my favorite fruit?
Hey - you’re a tangerine!
B-lime-y.
With information about the science of sight and perception, pigment origins in art and textiles, colloquial expressions and word associations.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published July 31, 2018
2 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Julie Paschkis
60 books28 followersI was born in 1957 and grew up in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. I have a brother and two sisters. My parents encouraged us to make things, to read, to draw and to play outside.
I attended Germantown Friends School, Ringerike Folkehogskole in Norway, Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, where I got a BFA. I have a teaching certificate from UW and I taught art to children for several years, mostly at the Bush School.
Since 1991 I have been painting and illustrating full time. I have had many shows of my paintings and of various other work (including cut paper, embroidery and bread). I illustrate books. I design fabric and make quilts. My work flows in many directions, but all of the ideas and creations are connected. The work I do in one area inspires the work in others. Ideas beget ideas.
I live in Seattle with my husband Joe Max Emminger. He is a painter.
I still like to make things, to read, draw and play outside.
I attended Germantown Friends School, Ringerike Folkehogskole in Norway, Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, where I got a BFA. I have a teaching certificate from UW and I taught art to children for several years, mostly at the Bush School.
Since 1991 I have been painting and illustrating full time. I have had many shows of my paintings and of various other work (including cut paper, embroidery and bread). I illustrate books. I design fabric and make quilts. My work flows in many directions, but all of the ideas and creations are connected. The work I do in one area inspires the work in others. Ideas beget ideas.
I live in Seattle with my husband Joe Max Emminger. He is a painter.
I still like to make things, to read, draw and play outside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
July 23, 2019
Colors. Poetry. Prose.
January 16, 2019
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Vivid: Poems & Notes About Color by Julie Paschkis, a delightfully quirky look at all our favorite hues.
Using a loose structure, nearly each spread is dedicated to a color, except when two colors share one, or one color gets two in a row. The accompanying poems are almost exclusively free-verse, keeping the language short, simple, and easily accessible for readers of all ages. Eccentric topics of verse range from diving into an ocean that becomes bluer the deeper one goes, a cat and dog discussing various shades of red paint colors, and an artichoke-dragon-giant foodchain. Each page also features a nonfiction fact or point of interest on the featured color, such as the etymology of the word “green” or an explanation of why purple is associated with royalty.
Very interesting! Let’s face it: with the breadth of color books out there, it’s always nice to see one that stands out, and this one does. The poems are unique and original, yet still very child-friendly for the most part. And the illustrations, rich with pigment and graceful, flowing figures, are beautiful and fun. The length is great, and we easily finished the entire book in a single storytime (not always the case with poetry books). And of course, JJ loved finding the colors and animals throughout. A fresh take on a well-loved subject, and we appreciated it. Baby Bookworm approved!
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
January 16, 2020
Looking for a STEAM poetry picture book? This is it. Each color is represented by a short poem, the science of why we see that particular color, and a nibble of history about the color. Beautiful illustrations, and truly enjoyable.
January 8, 2018
Awesome poems and awesome facts and awesome illustrations about colors.
January 26, 2019
Interesting facts. Lovely poems.
November 10, 2019
Poems and facts about colors.
February 4, 2019
Interesting collection on both the history of each colour of the rainbow and poems about each one. Suggestible for a school ( especially an art school/institute) library.
August 1, 2018
First, I am a big fan of Paschkis's art work. Her illustrations are always colorful and bring more the eye upon the first glance than the viewer might realize and this is why I think her books always need that second and third look before posting review or comment.
Cover art for VIVID is striking and forecasts what the younger reader will see and experience within the book. What's more. . .for younger readers. . .we've already encountered our first potential vocabulary builder. . ."vivid." What does "vivid" mean if we "undress" the book now slipping the dust jacket from the case to reveal a different presentation of the idea? The designers of the book take us from a vivid cover, to a minimal case cover with a colored dot spectrum again forecasting the reader to the colors that may be experienced within. Looking closer into the book, the end papers are done in black. And leads us to our first comment on the book? Vivid seems to invite the reader to clear the visual palette before entering into the text. A nice move for what the book does after. . .
The first color encountered by the reader is a striking entry of the color yellow. Boom. It's there. And it's yellow. On the facing page of each color entry is a one-paragraph block of text with the facing page offering Paschkis's light verse communicating the color. In the nonfiction offering, the reader learns about animal response to yellow and how egg yolks turn more yellow based upon the chicken's diet (which this adult reader did not know). Paschkis is still visible on the page and the illustrations are in keeping with her boldly-drawn lines that cannot seem to hold the color within (I love this style that reminds me of another favorite artist, Raschka). What I begin to realize early on in this new book is that Paschkis is present on the page, but this work belongs to the colors.
The next spread, dedicated to orange, is another example of color, text, and approach all coming together by way of intentional design. To compliment the nonfiction text suggesting that many languages had no word to communicate a sense of "orange" (and some still do not), the page spread is not washed with orange, but, rather filled with simple suggestions of the fruit, stacked, juggled, or bordering parts of the page including a light, open "wall" around the nonfiction text.
While Paschkis's verse is a little lighter, one of my favorite pieces in the book is "Red" wherein a question from Patrice regarding choice for color includes eleven variations is met by Fred's one word response. Paschkis uses this light verse to present humor along with an appreciation of color's multiple presentations.
Purple's spread is gorgeous with a regal cat working recto to verso with a long train of purple shades. The nonfiction will be familiar to adult readers familiar with color. Younger readers will experience new and novel information regarding this difficult-to-produce color. The poetic language in "Purple" is playful and who can resist a good cat pun?
"Brown" diverges from the exploration of the color and presents information regarding "synesthesia" that invites conversation between older and younger readers of the book.
The wedding of art and poetry and science make VIVID a unique presentation of a familiar subject. The picture book would work very well in art classrooms as a succinct introduction to color and as a vehicle for thoughtful consideration of Paschkis's choices in presentation and representation of the color. In the ELA classroom, VIVID would work very nicely alongside of Mary O'Neill's 1961 work in color and poetry, HAILSTONES AND HALIBUT BONES to invite young writers to work image, color, and words together for effect.
Cover art for VIVID is striking and forecasts what the younger reader will see and experience within the book. What's more. . .for younger readers. . .we've already encountered our first potential vocabulary builder. . ."vivid." What does "vivid" mean if we "undress" the book now slipping the dust jacket from the case to reveal a different presentation of the idea? The designers of the book take us from a vivid cover, to a minimal case cover with a colored dot spectrum again forecasting the reader to the colors that may be experienced within. Looking closer into the book, the end papers are done in black. And leads us to our first comment on the book? Vivid seems to invite the reader to clear the visual palette before entering into the text. A nice move for what the book does after. . .
The first color encountered by the reader is a striking entry of the color yellow. Boom. It's there. And it's yellow. On the facing page of each color entry is a one-paragraph block of text with the facing page offering Paschkis's light verse communicating the color. In the nonfiction offering, the reader learns about animal response to yellow and how egg yolks turn more yellow based upon the chicken's diet (which this adult reader did not know). Paschkis is still visible on the page and the illustrations are in keeping with her boldly-drawn lines that cannot seem to hold the color within (I love this style that reminds me of another favorite artist, Raschka). What I begin to realize early on in this new book is that Paschkis is present on the page, but this work belongs to the colors.
The next spread, dedicated to orange, is another example of color, text, and approach all coming together by way of intentional design. To compliment the nonfiction text suggesting that many languages had no word to communicate a sense of "orange" (and some still do not), the page spread is not washed with orange, but, rather filled with simple suggestions of the fruit, stacked, juggled, or bordering parts of the page including a light, open "wall" around the nonfiction text.
While Paschkis's verse is a little lighter, one of my favorite pieces in the book is "Red" wherein a question from Patrice regarding choice for color includes eleven variations is met by Fred's one word response. Paschkis uses this light verse to present humor along with an appreciation of color's multiple presentations.
Purple's spread is gorgeous with a regal cat working recto to verso with a long train of purple shades. The nonfiction will be familiar to adult readers familiar with color. Younger readers will experience new and novel information regarding this difficult-to-produce color. The poetic language in "Purple" is playful and who can resist a good cat pun?
"Brown" diverges from the exploration of the color and presents information regarding "synesthesia" that invites conversation between older and younger readers of the book.
The wedding of art and poetry and science make VIVID a unique presentation of a familiar subject. The picture book would work very well in art classrooms as a succinct introduction to color and as a vehicle for thoughtful consideration of Paschkis's choices in presentation and representation of the color. In the ELA classroom, VIVID would work very nicely alongside of Mary O'Neill's 1961 work in color and poetry, HAILSTONES AND HALIBUT BONES to invite young writers to work image, color, and words together for effect.
January 9, 2019
Loved the illustrations (5 stars for those) and some of the facts were new and interesting to me but the poems were rather uninspiring.
January 6, 2019
I think the notes and facts are way more interesting than the poems, but I am also aware that poetry is Not My Thing, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
The illustrations were often quite clever.
The illustrations were often quite clever.
January 7, 2019
I enjoyed the colors and the information about each more than the poems, but I love the all-around idea.
December 28, 2018
Poem and info about the color on each page is accompanied by a vibrant illustration. Well done, but not exceptional (when When Green Becomes Tomatoes sets the bar, it's a tough jump for any children's poetry collection...).
Example info: "The word green in English comes from grene -- and further back from growan, which is the same origin as for the words grass and grow."
Poem: "White" Black turns into white./Grandmother's hair. "Black" White turns into black./Snow melting on/pavement.
Example info: "The word green in English comes from grene -- and further back from growan, which is the same origin as for the words grass and grow."
Poem: "White" Black turns into white./Grandmother's hair. "Black" White turns into black./Snow melting on/pavement.
September 11, 2018
The illustrations create colorful splashes in each double page about the color itself, along with whimsical poems and informative paragraphs about each, too. The book can entertain by Julie's creative poetry play. For instance, "Blue": "Oh, what did I do?/Blue-hoo, Blue-hoo!" Julie shares that sometimes blue is connected to sadness, but per some polls, is the most popular color. And the page for brown offers a scary look at trees of brown, but oh, those trees's limbs seem to be faces and scary creatures. Julie has managed a perfect blend of art and science, focusing on the "what" and "how" of colors along with "how" we, and animals, see. There is a brief author's note at the end with added information.
November 19, 2018
The poems were ok. The information on the different colors is what I found most fascinating, and I think my SD will, too. The illustrations were all right. Not bad but not my favorite. I am curious how children will take to this one.
11/19/18 Had this at home to collect more perspectives/reviews for Poetry Committee. SS picked this for family bedtime book (we choose 2 now). Poetry doesn't go over as well without the lack of arcing story. But they both seemed to like that it was about colors. Still, a bit over their heads. Couldn't quite grasp what Dad thought of them either.
11/19/18 Had this at home to collect more perspectives/reviews for Poetry Committee. SS picked this for family bedtime book (we choose 2 now). Poetry doesn't go over as well without the lack of arcing story. But they both seemed to like that it was about colors. Still, a bit over their heads. Couldn't quite grasp what Dad thought of them either.
August 24, 2018
Great for older students, this lovely picture book mixes art, science and poetry to celebrate everything about color. According to the author, "In this book I paint poems of different colors, and I include some colorful facts and questions. I hope it inspires you to explore the art and science of color: to write, read, and draw a blue streak!" This book is a terrific nonfiction resource and mentor text to have on any bookshelf!
December 13, 2018
A painter writes simple poems inspired by colors and pairs them scientific facts and stories about color. Bight illustrations rendered in gouache reflected the color(s) featured in the spread. Readers can read parts or the whole of each page for a very different reading experience. This is a charming intersection of art, poetry, history and science.
August 30, 2018
This is a book dedicated to colours, so it is fun to look at. Has a poem and/or a fun fact about the colour it is about. This would be a great book for kids who are learning about their colours, or about to try painting!
August 5, 2018
With each read, I'm loving this book more and more. I love the witty poems (especially White/Black), gorgeous illustrations and scientific and historical information that accompanies each poem!
August 5, 2018
Lovely, vibrant illustrations and playful verse.
September 17, 2018
Poetry is short and fun. Perfect for an art class.
September 18, 2018
There was no English word for the color orange until the 16th century.
What on earth did they call it then? I obviously need to do more research.
What on earth did they call it then? I obviously need to do more research.
October 10, 2018
Fun poems and some great facts about colors, the illustrations are fun too.
October 14, 2018
A sprightly and enchanting meditation on color, with short poems, brief information about pigment and the perception of color, and the author's inimitable illustrations. A book to savor and reread.
October 26, 2018
Acid green not yellow is the color most easily seen by the human eye. Why are there monkeys on the page mentioning oranges and an African tribe?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2018
Stunning art, playful poems, and nifty nuggets of scientific sidebars. What more could I ask?
April 27, 2025
Did you know that the yolk of an egg turns a deeper yellow if a chicken eats more yellow plants? Or that in the 1920s pink was considered a color for boys, until the 1940s, when it switched to being associated with girls? How about the fact that in ancient times, purple dye was made of sea snails in Phoenicia (now Lebanon), and that it took about 243,000 snails to make one ounce of dye! No wonder only royalty could afford those purple robes they wore!
You will learn all this and more in this delightful book about color, that mixes facts and poems with whimsical pictures across every two-page spread.
I found the short poem for GREEN remarkably evocative:
GREEN
"Green smell of a summer lawn.
Damp dawn long gone.
Green song of a summer lawn.
In the hot sun I hum along."
Like most poems, it manages to paint whole worlds with just a few words.
Some are very humorous, bound to tickle both kids and the adults who read to them:
RED
“Inquired Patrice:
‘What color paint would you like tonight?
Crimson, scarlet, or cadmium light?
Magenta, madder, beet, carmine?
Quinacridone rose, alizarin?
There are a zillion!
Even vermillion!’
‘Red,’ said Fred.”
It ends with the idea of a rainbow featuring many colors at once, with the poem describing a rainbow picnic -
RAINBOW
“Corn and beans.
Collard greens.
Blueberry pie.
Sigh.
Purple plums and huckleberries.
Watermelon, juicy cherries.
Ripe red tomatoes cut thick.
Carrot sticks.
Golden apples, sun dappled.
Tart lemonade - cool sips.
Snowy white ice cream.
Slow licks, drips.
. . . "
Paschkis, who is also the illustrator, employs gouache-on-paper illustrations that include lots of different animals and whimsical design elements to keep the recommended reading age group of three and up consistently delighted.
Evaluation: Kids will return to these pages not only for the fun pictures and poems, but they will undoubtedly be drawn by the fascinating facts. Perhaps they will be inspired to investigate further, or write their own poems for colors not included. It would make a great classroom book.
You will learn all this and more in this delightful book about color, that mixes facts and poems with whimsical pictures across every two-page spread.
I found the short poem for GREEN remarkably evocative:
GREEN
"Green smell of a summer lawn.
Damp dawn long gone.
Green song of a summer lawn.
In the hot sun I hum along."
Like most poems, it manages to paint whole worlds with just a few words.
Some are very humorous, bound to tickle both kids and the adults who read to them:
RED
“Inquired Patrice:
‘What color paint would you like tonight?
Crimson, scarlet, or cadmium light?
Magenta, madder, beet, carmine?
Quinacridone rose, alizarin?
There are a zillion!
Even vermillion!’
‘Red,’ said Fred.”
It ends with the idea of a rainbow featuring many colors at once, with the poem describing a rainbow picnic -
RAINBOW
“Corn and beans.
Collard greens.
Blueberry pie.
Sigh.
Purple plums and huckleberries.
Watermelon, juicy cherries.
Ripe red tomatoes cut thick.
Carrot sticks.
Golden apples, sun dappled.
Tart lemonade - cool sips.
Snowy white ice cream.
Slow licks, drips.
. . . "
Paschkis, who is also the illustrator, employs gouache-on-paper illustrations that include lots of different animals and whimsical design elements to keep the recommended reading age group of three and up consistently delighted.
Evaluation: Kids will return to these pages not only for the fun pictures and poems, but they will undoubtedly be drawn by the fascinating facts. Perhaps they will be inspired to investigate further, or write their own poems for colors not included. It would make a great classroom book.
June 20, 2019
Vivid by Julie Paschkis was originally reviewed by Kirkus Reviews. It features poems about all the colors of the rainbow and neutral colors (black, brown, and white).
This was a fun book to read and I liked how the book not only features poems for each color but on the adjacent page there is also a little tidbit about the color. I think the extra facts really help hook the reader in since the author chose to include facts that he or she thought would interest the reader. I also learned a few new things from the facts presents.
In addition to this, the poems are short and simple and I think that makes them fun to read. The author uses rhymes to make them more playful sounding. Turning this into a picture book also helps add to the playfulness of the book. Most of the pages include a silly image like a cat painting or someone eating a dragon's tail and I think that creates excitement and causes the reader to want to know what the poem is about.
I think this could be used with lower elementary aged students (k-3). With kindergarteners, the poems in this book could be to practice finding rhyming words. With older lower elementary students (ex. 3rd and 2nd grade) putting more focus on the facts presented could be a fun and easy way for students to start practicing using sources for research. This could serve as one source they get their research on colors from.
This was a fun book to read and I liked how the book not only features poems for each color but on the adjacent page there is also a little tidbit about the color. I think the extra facts really help hook the reader in since the author chose to include facts that he or she thought would interest the reader. I also learned a few new things from the facts presents.
In addition to this, the poems are short and simple and I think that makes them fun to read. The author uses rhymes to make them more playful sounding. Turning this into a picture book also helps add to the playfulness of the book. Most of the pages include a silly image like a cat painting or someone eating a dragon's tail and I think that creates excitement and causes the reader to want to know what the poem is about.
I think this could be used with lower elementary aged students (k-3). With kindergarteners, the poems in this book could be to practice finding rhyming words. With older lower elementary students (ex. 3rd and 2nd grade) putting more focus on the facts presented could be a fun and easy way for students to start practicing using sources for research. This could serve as one source they get their research on colors from.
October 15, 2019
Genre - Poetry
Grade Level - PK-2
Theme - Color
Summary - This book identifies each color of the rainbow in a factual way, for example the history of orange is given. Each color also has a playful poem to follow which gives students two ways to look at the colors. Each page has an illustration to match the given poem told about that color.
Personal Connection - I felt like this book gives an interesting perspective on the colors I thought I was familiar with. The history sections taught me, a 21-year-old college student, something new and changed my perspective on some colors. I thought that the fun poems offered a nice balance between information and fun to read literature.
Additional Information - Paschkis writes with a variety of poetic styles in this anthology, this means that not all of her poems rhyme! I love that about this book because it demonstrates different types of poetry and how they all count. I think that her word choice is important for the fluidity of all of the included poems.
Classroom Connections -
1. Break into small groups and assign each group a color, the students must then work together to research 3 facts and write a 5-line poem about their color.
2. A student draws a random color and must list as many objects of that color as they can, they must then try to write a poem about one of those objects.
Grade Level - PK-2
Theme - Color
Summary - This book identifies each color of the rainbow in a factual way, for example the history of orange is given. Each color also has a playful poem to follow which gives students two ways to look at the colors. Each page has an illustration to match the given poem told about that color.
Personal Connection - I felt like this book gives an interesting perspective on the colors I thought I was familiar with. The history sections taught me, a 21-year-old college student, something new and changed my perspective on some colors. I thought that the fun poems offered a nice balance between information and fun to read literature.
Additional Information - Paschkis writes with a variety of poetic styles in this anthology, this means that not all of her poems rhyme! I love that about this book because it demonstrates different types of poetry and how they all count. I think that her word choice is important for the fluidity of all of the included poems.
Classroom Connections -
1. Break into small groups and assign each group a color, the students must then work together to research 3 facts and write a 5-line poem about their color.
2. A student draws a random color and must list as many objects of that color as they can, they must then try to write a poem about one of those objects.
October 27, 2021
Accompanied by illustrations and vivid colors on each page, readers receive a visual treat scanning through this picture book. With each page dedicated to our favorite colors, there is a combination of information and poems to paint the perfect description. The artwork distinguishes the poem's intended meaning. To better understand, the illustrator supports the line, "Orange you plump and juicy," by painting different sizes of orange circles, leaving the reader to assume the poem must be talking about a sweet citrus orange. To illuminate the color pink, the comparison to blissful tulips paired with the different shades of magical pinks creates a unique appeal for the colors that exist to our eyes. I gave this book a four because my love for the rainbow has never died, and my appreciation for colors has extended to adulthood. It certainly shines through my choice of wardrobe and home decorations. Therefore, if this book had reached my hands as a youngster, it indeed would have been considered a favorite.
February 25, 2019
Vivid: Poems & Notes About Color by Julie Paschkis. PICTURE BOOK/NON-FICTION. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2018. $18. 9781250122292
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL – AVERAGE
Colorful, imaginative illustrations and poems about color. Each basic color has its own page spread. The historical notes and scientific facts about color can be understood by children, yet may be new to adults.
This would be a fun book to read to or with a child. The poems are descriptive, humorous, and not very long. The comments spark interest. “Feeling BLUE, tickled PINK, telling a WHITE lie…Why are you GREEN with envy instead of ORANGE with envy?” Informative and enjoyable.
M.Kijek, Library Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL – AVERAGE
Colorful, imaginative illustrations and poems about color. Each basic color has its own page spread. The historical notes and scientific facts about color can be understood by children, yet may be new to adults.
This would be a fun book to read to or with a child. The poems are descriptive, humorous, and not very long. The comments spark interest. “Feeling BLUE, tickled PINK, telling a WHITE lie…Why are you GREEN with envy instead of ORANGE with envy?” Informative and enjoyable.
M.Kijek, Library Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews