Growing Colors [Hardcover]

Bruce McMillan (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1988 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

What color is a bean? Green? Or might it be purple? Dose a plum grow in, on, or above the ground? Join award-winning phott-ilustrater Bruce McMillan as he takes his camera in srech of some of nature's gorgeous colors found in gardens and orchards--and expect the unexpected.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McMillan has created a feast of a colors book using fruits and vegetables of every hue. Each double-page spread has a small photograph of the whole plant and a large close-up of the fruit or vegetable. The colors are announced in bold type tinted in the appropriate shade. In the selection of vegetables, McMillan moves beyond ordinary supermarket produce, showing purple beans and brown peppers. At the end of the book, there is a picture glossary of all the colors and plants used. And in a final note, McMillan discusses his plant choices, their sources and his photographic techniques (such as misting the vegetables and fruits to enhance their natural colors). Such a brilliant presentation of colors will be an eyeful for any small child; older readers (and adults) will appreciate the composition and clarity of every photo, which sets off each piece of produce like a jewel. Ages 2-4.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 A vibrant introduction to the beauty of colors in nature. Fourteen vegetables and fruits are dramatically visualized with full-page photographs, accompanied by a color word, as well as a glimpse of how the vegetables grow. Most effective are the shots of carrots and onions growingtheir root tops showing just above the dark moist earth, green pods bursting with succulent peas, ravishing blueberries, a proud husk of golden corn, and melt-in-your-mouth blackberries. The intensity and vibrance of color is breathtaking. This is a spotless bookeven the onions and potatoes pulled directly from the dirt are ulta-clean. Exceptional clarity and artistic composition of the dew-tipped photographs makes each suitable for framing. Cleverly complementing the traditional red raspberries and orange carrots are unusual variants portraying brown peppers and purple beans. However, while the close-up view of the vegetables and fruits is exciting visually, the lack of consideration for congruity of size is in sharp contrast to the stark simplicity of the book's concept. The pair of cantaloupes appear diminished in stature, yet the bright orange apricots are so large that they appear to be oranges. Also, the use of only upper-case letters will make the text difficult for young children to read. A final listing of the colors and the names of the fruits and vegetables is a valuable resource. A delicious book for a wide range of ages. Ronald Jobe, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (August 18, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688078443
• ISBN-13: 978-0688078447
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,762,638 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 amazing reaction, July 3, 2005

By 

tree wind (nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Colors (Paperback)

My 3 year old slightly autistic son has never really taken to books about colors. I have tried for over a year to find a book that will excite him about colors. This book has done it for some reason. I don't know if it's because he can identify with the fruits and vegetables we pick out at the grocery or just what it is. He points to the pictures in the book and tries to say their color! To me it is a huge breakthrough! I love it that when we are done reading it and I tell him all done he says "again" so hopefully. We are currently reading this book at least 4 times a day. So, not only is this book teaching him his colors but it is a plus for speech for a non-verbal child.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A regular head-scratcher, July 3, 2001

By 

"abookbug" (Dublin, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Colors (Paperback)

I don't know exactly why, but my two-year-old really likes this book. If it were solely up to me, I'd rank it with one star less, but because of its enthusiastic reception by a member of its target audience, it graduates in my opinion from an "okay" book to a "good" one. The format is simple: a small photograph shows how each item of food grows, a large one shows a close-up of the produce, and the name of the color it represents is written- in that color- in big, bold letters on the page. There is one color/fruit or veggie featured per two-page spread. The variations from traditional associations were interesting and perhaps potentially confusing (purple string beans, brown bell peppers), but I'll tell you what-my toddler remains pretty jazzed about shopping for-and trying out-all kind of fruits and vegetables now, as well as having had his color concepts reinforced.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant idea of a book, October 9, 2011

By 

Susan O Murphy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Colors (Paperback)

Beautiful!!! A brilliant idea--showing a photo of the plant on which a vegetable/fruit grows (tree, bush, vine, etc), plus a large photograph of the fruit/vegetable, in real, unambiguous colors. My grandchildren--who know something about gardens and how things grow, really enjoyed this book. It so clearly shows the sources: the roots of the potato plant with the red potatoes, the green peas still in their pods. The colors are so clear and full of detail that young children can learn about how food grows as well as learning colors. I think this is my favorite children's book for learning colors. Makes a great gift for toddlers as well as pre-schoolers.