Thursday, September 6, 2018

MIXED: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung


What an awesome book for talking about diversity and to use as a model for some really cool art!

Summary from the publisher:

In the beginning, there were three colors . . .
Reds,
Yellows,
and Blues.

All special in their own ways, all living in harmony—until one day, a Red says "Reds are the best!" and starts a color kerfuffle. When the colors decide to separate, is there anything that can change their minds?

A Yellow, a Blue, and a never-before-seen color might just save the day in this inspiring book about color, tolerance, and embracing differences.

Mixed: A Colorful Story was written and illustrated by Arree Chung. It was published by Henry Holt & Company in 2018.


Opening:  
   
In the beginning, there were three colors . . .
Reds,
Yellows,
and Blues.
Reds were the loudest,


My Thoughts as a Writer:

I think this would be a perfect example of what agents and editors mean when they say they are looking for something “fresh.” Colour mixing stories are not new. But even though I predicted that the colors would mix together, I didn’t realize it would happen in such a fun and visually exciting way. I really loved the way the author didn’t dumb down the text and used lovely words such as “vibrant” and “fascinated” and “possibilities.” And I loved the use of speech bubbles to show the character dialogue (awesome, modern design choice).


My Thoughts as an Educator:

In a way, this reminded me of a modern take on Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches, but without the rhyming and the machine. (Maybe a good opportunity for comparing and contrasting themes?) I loved how the author drew attention to the feelings of the characters in different situations, through the text and the colours. Lots to discuss here about friendship, community, inclusion and feelings.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K – 2

Themes: colour mixing, inclusiveness, diversity

Activities:

Design: Use the art style in the beginning pages of the book to draw your own cool town and add a few pops of color.

Create a class mural:  Day 1 - Students draw elements of a town using black marker and Day 2- Students mix a colour and add themselves somewhere in the town.

Explore: Put out paints and give students a chance to mix & name their own new colors.

Watch: Arree Chung reads a preview of the book!








14 comments:

  1. What a delightful story about inclusiveness and community. Unique way to approach diversity through color blending! Reminds me of International Dot Day and would pair well with The Dot and another book, Line and Dot. Always enjoy your perspective as a writer and an educator.

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    1. What an interesting thought, Patricia. Thanks for mentioning those related books!

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  2. I adore this story. And agree, what a fresh take on an issue kids may hear is important but don't have enough experience to maybe understand why.

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    1. It's so great, isn't it? Thanks for commenting, Keila!

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  3. I think this is one of my favorite books of the summer and definitely my favorite of Arree's so far.

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  4. I love this book. It is one of those that strikes me as "really, somebody hasn't done this already!" It is genius. Great review & I love your activities.

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    1. You're right, Maria. Genius is a good word for it! Thank you for stopping by.

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  5. I totally love this story! Excellent review!

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  6. I keep hearing how much everyone likes this - high time I read it!

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    1. I think you'll enjoy it. I always enjoy colour on black and white lines as a design. Always pops!

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  7. Sounds like a definite keeper. I'm pinning so I don't forget about it. Thanks!

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    1. I'm going to buy my own copy for my class. Definitely a keeper!

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  8. This is such a fun way to look at secondary colors! Great activity. Gotta read this one again.

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