Colours, Colours Everywhere

Colours, Colours Everywhere by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sharon King-Chai (Two Hoots, Pan Macmillan) HB $29.99 ISBN 9781529078527

Reviewed by Kathleen Grace

Here is an outstanding book which is sure to be read repeatedly and treasured for years. It features a rich and beautiful exploration of colours and painting full of gorgeous landscapes and fascinating animals, with shaped pages, flaps, and foldouts.

Follow a little girl as she paints her own adventure with her bright blue tree frog companion. With luscious green trees to climb and ret hot air balloons to sail away in, children will delight in the rhyming text and vibrant artwork while learning about different colours.

A truly gorgeous gift, this is an absolute must for the family bookshelf.

Julia Donaldson is the author of some of the world’s best-loved children’s books, including modern classics such as The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide.

1-2-3 Count to Ten with Gumnut Babies; Colours, A Bush Rainbow with Gumnut Babies

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie present 1-2-3 Count to Ten with Gumnut Babies and Colours, A Bush Rainbow with Gumnut Babies illustrated by May Gibbs (Scholastic Australia)

HB RRP $9.99 each

ISBN 9781742830230 and ISBN 9781742830421

Reviewed by Dawn Meredith

What a lovely way to revitalize the beloved characters of May Gibbs!  Part of the proceeds of this book go to benefit Cerebral Palsy Alliance and The Northcott Society. Awarded an MBE in 1955 for her contribution to children’s literature, May Gibbs bequeathed the copyright of her bush characters to charities. The proceeds have supported thousands of Australian children with disabilities and their families also.

This nicely presented 216x178mm board book with matt finish works beautifully with May Gibbs’ charming soft pastel illustrations. Each page is a different number on the way to ten:

One special hug,

two friends together,

three buzzing bugs,

four cuddly chicks…

I love these mythical little people, tucked up in their gum leaf beds, with their little wooden hats and chubby cherubic bodies! My favourite in Count to Ten would have to be ‘Seven soft floating flowers’ in which pink gum nut babies parachute earthwards beneath pink flowers and in Colours  the cover illustration, depicting two bush babies swathed in fluffy pale yellow wattle blossom sitting on a twig. The text is simple and evocative:

Gold sunrise glow,

Silver morning star,

Brown gum nuts roll,

Orange bees buzz…

These uniquely Australian drawings and concepts have a place in the hearts of every generation and I am so pleased to see them once more grace the shelves. That these lovely keepsakes also help charities help those in need is a wonderful bonus.

Dawn Meredith writes from the Blue Mountains and is a May Gibbs Fellow 2011. Her new book, The Anything Shop will be launched October 15^th. See here for details: www.dawnmeredithauthor.blogspot.com

Numbers; Colours

Numbers and Colours, designed and illustrated by Orla Kiely (hardie grant EGMONT)

HB RRP $16.95

ISBN 978-140525856-2 (Colours) 
978-140525855-5 (Numbers)

Reviewed by Lillian Rodrigues-Pang

Colours and Numbers are the first two books in a series by designer Orla Kiely. She is one of the U.K.’s most eminent designers, with a very distinctive style. She uses strong and earthy colours, simple lines and graphics that are reminiscent of the 1950’s era.

Being design driven the choice of materials are distinctive and lovely to touch. Both of the books are cloth covered, each board is thick and easy to turn for little fingers and the boards are matte varnish. They are very appealing and the quality would indicate long lasting.

The two books sit together well as a set, offering the same spread of colour and graphics in use. Each incorporates a two-page spread of full colour making every turn of the page pleasing.

Colours offers a range of tones for any one colour along the right hand side of the spread. The layout of the graphics is lovely with each both large and small images complimenting each other and offering more for the child to discover on the page.

Numbers uses a range of familiar objects in a variety of strong colours that are presented playfully on each two-page spread.

These books are attractive for both baby and parent.