From Publishers Weekly
A dance theme, with children trailing and waving scarves of bright hues, teaches principles of mixing primary colors. The book opens with three figures, one dressed in red, another in blue and a third in yellow, each carrying a matching banner and saying, "This is our dance." The only subsequent text presents color facts in simple sentences: "Orange is red and yellow mixed together. No blue." On the page, the scarves demonstrate the stated concepts. The blue tone is not a medium blue, and the red is more of a dark rose, so this book does not introduce what is traditionally considered to be the true color spectrum, nor does the structure of the lesson make a vivid impression. Where the text says, "Red and blue can make magenta, and purple, and violet," the illustration does not successfully show more than one color. The idea that "blue and blue can only make blues" may be confusing to readers, who can clearly see that, at a minimum, there are lighter and darker shades of blue. Because of some of the vagaries of the concept, this remains little more than a teaching tool. All ages.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- An exuberant, joyful celebration of color and movement, Color Dance is a concept book to use for the fun of it. Minimal text explains that many colors are the products of mixes of red, yellow, and blue; a note explains that red can appear in a variety of shades. Emphasizing the color concepts, each color word is printed in the color it describes throughout the book. The same message is visually conveyed by the movement of three very young dancers, whose waving scarves produce the blends. Joined by a boy carrying a white, then a gray scarf, the characters are racially and sexually mixed. Using line and shadow, Jonas captures the movement of the children well. White space is used effectively, and each watercolor illustration stands cleanly on a double-page spread. An author's note explains that this dance is a fantasy, ". . .easier to perform on paper than on a stage." A color wheel completes the conceptual design. This vigorous, fresh approach to color will be welcomed by picture-book lovers, and storytime groups as well. --Carolyn Noah, Worcester Public Library, MA
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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