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!
