The Color Box [Hardcover]

Dayle Ann Dodds (Author), Giles Laroche (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

A celebration of color leads readers on an adventure with Alexander the Monkey as he slips through yellow, orange, blue, red, and green die-cut holes. By the author of Wheel Away.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- A monkey named Alexander crawls into a box. ``It was black, /Black everywhere-- / Everywhere he : looked. / Only one spot / Was not.'' This ``spot'' is a hole in the page, revealing a bit of the all-yellow world the curious chimp discovers after he climbs through. He then finds an orange cut-out and continues to discover various new colors. Finally he reaches white, discovers a movable flap door, and steps through to find ``. . . a world . . . of color'' in the zoo where he lives. Laroche's cut-paper collages work perfectly, lending the box the needed three-dimensional effect. The layers and shadows effectively distinguish and set off the various shades of the objects. The smooth text is patterned and predictable, but varied enough to remain lively. The spots change in location, size, and shape to sustain interest and keep children guessing. Sure to please both in story time and one-on-one, The Color Box is an entertaining and original concept book. --Steven Engelfried, Pleasanton Library, CA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A series of die-cut holes lead a monkey (and readers) through a succession of colors, inviting stops at each spread to pick out ``yellow daisies, yellow bees, yellow bananas up in trees,'' or ``green leaves, green frogs, green lizards under logs.'' The idea is not to present colors at their purest, but to sample the range that the words connote--reds here can be deep peach or purplish-pink; some greens would fit comfortably on the yellow spread; yellow and white come out more monochromatic. Laroche's cut and folded paper objects seem to float above the page, lending an intriguing three-dimensional air. (Picture book. 0-5) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st edition (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316188204
• ISBN-13: 978-0316188203
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #508,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Color Box, April 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Color Box (Hardcover)

As a Kindergarten teacher, I read The Color Box with my students every fall. The children love the rhythym and rhyme within the text. The illustrations are appealing to all 4-6 year-olds. You will find older children reading along with you. The "peekholes" grab the children's attention and keep them hooked. This story is a wonderful read-aloud and belongs in every early childhood classroom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Neat, March 4, 2004

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Color Box (Hardcover)

A monkey finds a box and looks inside it. Inside the box, he sees a small hole, and crawls inside it. There, he finds a room where everything is the same color, except for a small spot with a new color. The monkey crawls repeatedly from spot to world, from world to spot, changing the colors of his surroundings as he goes. The story is fun, rhyming, and not scary. It's a great way to practice colors. The book has about 100 words.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Reading Experience !, November 23, 2002

By 

Joe Leong (Aiea, HI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color Box (Hardcover)

This book totally excited my 5 year old grandson. He could not get enough of me reading it to him. The illustrations are colorful and the peepholes leave just enough suspense for the child to anticipate what color and text may come next. A wonderful reading experience for both grandson and grandpa.