No One Owns the Colors

November 14, 2022
From butterscotch to “neon orange crush,” a virtual crayon-box of colors motivate the uneven rhymes in this cheery prompt to embrace the “colors we’re made of and colors we choose.” After initial text from Davy debunks color-related gender norms (“If pink is for girls,/ then it’s also for squirrels,/ because no one owns the colors”), a tan-skinned, dark-haired youth decides to model their style on nature: “If trees can be seen dressed in red,/ gold, and green,/ then I’ll wear chartreuse.” In Rodriguez’s art, vibrantly saturated flower- and butterfly-filled spreads depict children with varied abilities and skin tones playing outside, sitting around a campfire, parading in costume, and more. Natural motifs and images of animals, including a flamingo, frog, tiger, parrot, and peacock, support the book’s emphasis on the diversity found in nature (“All creatures on Earth are their own special shade./ Each fur tone and skin tone is uniquely made”). Throughout, singsong text takes a circular approach to celebrating Earth’s variety of hues, and images and words jointly pay tribute to the way the natural world and its many colors can unite. Ages 4–8.

December 15, 2022
A rhyming text about colors and genders. "If pink is for girls," this book begins, "then it's also for squirrels, because no one owns the colors." The following assertion, "They say blue is for boys? / Well that just annoys, / because no one owns the colors," sets up 28 similar pages, explaining how colors ranging from chartreuse to mocha to fuchsia all exist in nature but not within strict human gender binaries. Children are provided with scripts for how to respond if anyone tries to convince them otherwise, but it's cringe-inducing to imagine a young person responding to a bully with "Do ocean waves argue / with sky over blue? Do chameleons have / only one color to use? Does red avoid yellow / and try not to touch? Or do they unite to make / neon orange crush!" or with "The trees and the frogs / and the blue ocean spray, / they all share their colors, / the dark ones and light, / and so do the rainbows / that dress the sky bright." The unceasingly chipper tone, faulty meter, and relentless march of colors make this an exhausting read-aloud and, if shared among children with no preconceived notions about colors and gender, might even introduce bias rather than remove it. Rodriguez's illustrations center on a tan-skinned child; other characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A less than successful effort to get readers rethinking assumptions about colors; look at a nice rainbow instead. (Picture book. 3-7)

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January 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 3-The oft-heard refrains of "That's a girl color" or "Only boys like that color" are taken head on with this poem celebrating color in nature and color as a means of self-expression for people. With challenging questions for young readers to ponder ("Do ocean waves argue with sky over blue?"), the stereotypes of color are challenged with an optimistic message that all children should express themselves as they wish. "So what is the name of the color of you? And what does it feel like? Bold, shy, brand new?" The repeated line, "No one owns the colors" will hopefully stick with children long after they have read the book, encouraging them to celebrate their uniqueness however they see fit. Well-suited and boldly colored illustrations bring the text to life and could have children reaching for the biggest box of crayons they can find to capture all the colors that are a part of their own identities. VERDICT Combining nature and self-expression, this title will be useful for all collections and should spark lively discussions with children and even older elementary readers.-John Scott

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