Colors! Colores! [Hardcover]

Jorge Lujan (Author), Piet Grobler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2008 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Noted Mexican poet Jorge Luján and South Africa’s illustrious illustrator Piet Grobler have teamed up again to produce this exquisite celebration of color. As day turns into night, young readers see fleeting, evocative glimpses of the qualities inherent in a range of colors. An antelope and a group of children are pictured inhabiting this delicate world. This bilingual book presents a gorgeous vision of a planet in which nature, words, and the rising and setting of the sun and the moon exist in harmony.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—Short poems and vibrant watercolor illustrations wed successfully in this bilingual book, giving birth to a sensory exploration of nature's colors. On each spread, whimsical poetic comparisons add multiple dimensions to the seemingly simple hues ("Yellow/rolls/through/the/sky/like/a/warm/gold/coin") and suggest that colors can encompass something broader than us ("Into a tiny seed/fits clover, fits a tree,/fits the whole jungle…/fits green"). Subtleties present in the author's native Spanish are occasionally lost in translation (for example, the alliterative wordplay of Vio un lago,/vio una flor,/vio el ocaso,/¡violeta! becomes "I saw a lake./I saw a flower./I saw the twilight./…Violet!"). Still, the essence of each poem remains intact. The colors are represented in beautiful paintings that contain both abstract depictions of nature as well as simple images of familiar outdoor things—birds, nests, leaves, flowers. Elegant details in the art and design further unify the poems and colors; a dynamic palette and other visual aids illustrate the passage of time, while an antelope (appearing first on the front cover, beckoning readers inside) functions as a familiar guide as it reappears throughout this first-rate collection.—Madeline Walton-Hadlock, San Jose Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Though it resembles a picture book, this is actually a fully illustrated collection of 11 brief, free-verse poems linked by a common theme: colors. Each poem appears in English and then in Spanish on a double-page spread surrounded by white space and accompanied by an eye-catching watercolor painting. Among the best examples of English translations of the poems are “Orange, / little sun of the orchard, / they will say I ate you, / and it’s true.” and “Yellow/ rolls / through / the / sky / like / a / warm / gold / coin.” An Argentinan writer, musician, and architect who lives in Mexico, Luján also wrote the texts presented bilingually in the picture books Rooster/Gallo (2004) and Sky Blue Accident/Accidente celeste (2007). Grobler, a South African artist, interprets the verse through watercolor paintings that are as spare and fanciful as the writing. A pleasant addition to international and bilingual poetry collections for young children. Grades K-2. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books; Bilingual edition (February 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888998635
• ISBN-13: 978-0888998637
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Colors, Colores, October 7, 2010

By 

Melissa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colors! Colores! (Hardcover)

Wonderfully written short poems in English and Spanish. Vivid images, each poem is about a different color. Delightful illustrations.

4.0 out of 5 stars Poetic book of colors, July 23, 2010

By 

J. Jacobs - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Colors! Colores! (Hardcover)

This book features a different color on each page, with four lines of poetry describing it. The illustrations are watercolor, which together with the lyrical poetry, makes the book light and magical, inspiring a child's imagination and attention to detail. While the suggested age range is 4-8, my 2-year-old enjoyed it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning book, March 3, 2010

By 

MB (WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colors! Colores! (Hardcover)

I borrowed this book from the library on a whim, and what a beautiful book! I now have my own copy. Lujan's poems about the colors are wonderful and Grobler's illustrations are lovely. My girls just love this book too. I really like that it is in both English and Spanish on every page. Simple, elegant, stunning.