Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert is a quietly impressive little book. I’m not the first to think so: it was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1990.
Still, it is worth a few words because of just how well done it is. There’s little or no story here, but there’s no need for one. It’s a lovely, gentle concept book, perfect for teaching shapes and colors, and for guiding young listeners on how to see these, and how they fit with various shapes.
There’s an opening poem, then just a series of pages with different shapes cut through the high-quality pages. Each time readers turn a page, one of the design elements from the previous page disappears: the circle goes, then the square, and so on. Each time an element disappears, the remaining shapes form the face of a different animal.
Beautiful, and appealing to both the hands and eyes, this is a work of design genius. It only works because of the purity of Ehlert’s vision and the skill with which she executes that vision.
If your library doesn’t have a copy, nudge them to get one—and look at this book.
