Pink in Not a Color written and illustrated by Lindsay Ward

 

Pink is Not a Color

written and illustrated by Lindsay Ward

Two Lions, 2022, 40 pages

When my Kiddo was a little girl, there were two truisms in her life: 1) there was never enough glitter, and 2) there was never enough pink. Pink is probably the favorite color of most little girls at some point. After all, Pink is a happy color and the world is a rosier place thanks to it. 

So when Pink ran into the Primaries Red, Blue, and Yellow getting ready to have a Rainbow Extravaganza, Pink was excited to help. 

The Primary colors were all going to be at the Rainbow Extravaganza, as were the Secondary colors, Orange, Green, and Purple, and there would be balloons, streamers, and a great big rainbow colored banner. It was going to be an awesome party, with all the colors of the rainbow there, and Pink was so up for it...until the Rainbow Colors reminded her that Pink is not a color in the rainbow. 

And even though they encouraged Pink to come to the party anyway, Pink's excitement was more than a little deflated. Pink leaves the Rainbow Extravaganza thinking about how super popular she is and all the things that are pink - bubble gum, cupcakes with sprinkles, tutus, bunny slippers. Everyone loves pink, so why isn't she in the rainbow? And if she isn't, is she even a color,? And if she isn't a color,  just what she is?

The next day, still feeling low and confused, Pink runs into the Brown, who is a Shade and the Tints - Corel, Mint, Buttercup, Lavender and Sky - who invite her to color with them. Feeling validated that she is a color after all, Brown explains the difference between a Shade, like himself, and a Tint, like Pink. But is a Tint a real color, she wonders? 

Leaving Brown and the Tints behind, Pink encounters Gray and tells him about her midcolor crisis. Gray says that in his book, Pink is definitely a color in his book. But is an appearance in This Book is Gray enough to convince Pink that she is a color even if she isn't in the rainbow? Leave it to Gray to show Pink all the different ways in which she colors the world, including mornings and evenings. 

Some of Lindsay Ward's books are truly adventures in color. There's This Book is Gray, followed by Between the Lines, and now there is Pink is not a Color. Each book has something to teach kids about colors and this one answers the question: what is a color? It begins with a Color Glossary right there on the front end page. And while kids are learning the difference between Primary Colors and how Secondary Colors, Shades, Tints Achromatic Colors are created, there is also an important message about self-doubt.

Pink was pretty happy and self confident until the other colors preparing for the Rainbow Extravaganza said she wasn't a color in the rainbow. They were certainly happy to have her join in the festivities, but Pink immediately sunk into a midcolor crisis, as though not being in the rainbow made her not a color - so what is she? Self-doubt is something that can happen so easily to kids, and often, as it happens with Pink, it is the result of a something that wasn't even said to be mean.  Hopefully, adults reading this to children will realize what hurtful words can do to a child's self-esteem, so thy can help kids if they find themselves in a situation like Pink's. And children hearing this story will hopefully be able to see that they are just as important and have things to offer, just like Pink. 

I loved the digitally created illustrations and the bright, colorful palette used throughout. These different colors used add so much to the color characters, and no one color overpowers Pink, since it is her story. One of other things I like is that the colors are represented by that little triangle at the end of every crayon.  

Pink is Not a Color will be a wonderful and important book to share with young kids, either in school or at home and should generate lots of good conversations afterwards. I know I can't wait to share it with my young readers when we get back together again. 

What's being said about Pink is Not a Color?

“Ward’s cast of colors, pink-cheeked and wearing accessories, speak in color-coded speech bubbles; appropriately, pink hues dominate the exuberant art. A rosy take on selfhood.” ―Kirkus Reviews

Meet the Author: Lindsay Ward is the creator of the Dexter T. Rexter series as well as Between the Lines, Scooper and Dumper, Rosie: Stronger than Steel, This Book Is Gray, Brobarians, Rosco vs. the Baby, and The Importance of Being 3. Her book Please Bring Balloons was also made into a play. Lindsay lives with her family in Peninsula, Ohio with her husband, three boys, one dog, and eight ducks. When she’s not drawing, Lindsay loves to bake. Pink-frosted cupcakes are her favorite. Learn more about her online at www.lindsaymward.com.

Twitter: @lindsaymward

Instagram: lindsaymward

Check out activities and more here on Lindsay Ward’s website!

Red, A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall

He's supposed to be a red crayon, after all, that's what his label says.  But every time he draws something that should be red, it comes out blue.  His teacher thinks he just needs more practice, but no matter how hard he tries to imitate her example, his strawberries still come out blue.

His mother thinks Red just needs to mix with other crayons more.  But when Red and Yellow decide to make something together, it comes out green, not orange the way it should have.
It just seems that no matter how hard Red tries to live up to his red label, he just can't do it.  Everything still comes out blue.

Naturally, all the other crayons have something to say, and some of what they say isn't very nice, you know, platitudes like "Frankly, I don't think he's very bright" from Fuchsia or "Well, I think he's lazy" from Grape.  Not very helpful to Red's plight.  Even the art supplies try to help, but no matter what they do for him, Red still draws blue.

Then, one day, Red met Berry, who asked if he could draw him a blue ocean for his ship to sail in.  Suddenly, red knew exactly who he was - he was Blue, he was happy and he just couldn't draw enough blue things.

Like many, when I first read this story, I thought it was ideal for kids facing gender identity issues.  Then I began to think that it could also be for kids dealing with questions about their sexual identity.  But then, I thought about how I was an undiagnosed dyslexic in school and I felt a lot of what Red felt, and heard all the platitudes, so OK, even learning challenged kids could benefit from this book.  The more I thought, the more I began to see that almost any young person could benefit.

In the end, I realized that in Red, A Crayon's Story, Michael Hall has created a perfect metaphor about difference and the need to look beyond the label, whatever that label may be.  By simply placing his story in a box of crayons, and having it narrated by a pencil, who is able to keep some objective distance to the crayons, Red becomes a book that allows the reader to read it however s/he needs to.  I think kids will understand Red's plight pretty quickly, and hopefully parents and teachers will start looking at their Reds in a whole new way.

A very helpful Teaching Guide is available from the publisher, Greenwillow Books, HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

When I was in school, and even when I was teaching in a classroom, Friday afternoons were always reserved for arts and crafts.  In the early grades, from 1st to 3rd, it was the time we drew pictures, or made cards for any given holiday or even illustrated something from a social studies lesson we had during the week.  I loved Friday afternoons in school, I loved the smell of my Crayolas, I loved arts and  crafts.

So, when I picked up a copy of The Day the Crayons Quit, I was immediately taken back to those wonderful halcyon Friday afternoon arts and crafts days.   Then I started reading...

Young Duncan thought he was going to have a little Crayola time in school when he pulled out his crayons to draw a picture.  But instead of finding crayons in his crayon box, he finds a bunch of letters  wrapped together in a little bakery box string (nice touch, Jeffers, I like it!).

What was this all about?  Well, it seems Duncan's crayons aren't very happy and they have gone on strike.  Each color has written him a letter stating its particular grievance and a picture Duncan had drawn using that color to make their case.  Red feels hard pressed because it has to work so hard, even on holidays, Blue is tired, Yellow and Orange are arguing over which one is the real color of the sun, and poor Peach can't even come out of the box because its wrapper has been peeled off and now Peach is naked.  Well, you get the picture

And in the end, Duncan comes up with the perfect solution for ending the crayon strike.

The first time I read it, I was going home on the bus one afternoon and I was laughing so much that the lady next to me started looking around for another sear.  Not to worry, I told her, The Day the Crayons Quit is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time, and is a book that will appeal to kids as well as adults.   By the time I got off the bus, we both had read the book and she thought she just might buy it for the grands.

A word about the Jeffers' illustrations - they are perfection, I couldn't have done better myself in 1st grade.  But it takes a really talented grownup to pull of illustrations and letter that looks like something out of childhood.  And naturally, the illustrations and letters were all done with crayons.

The Day the Crayons Quit is an epistolary novel that is sure to become a classic (said with tongue in cheek).

This book is recommended for readers of all ages.
This book was purchased for my personal library.