Color Chaos! - Hardcover

Reed, Lynne Rowe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823422577 ISBN 13: 9780823422579

Publisher: Holiday House, 2010

Synopsis

Something quite strange is afoot at Colin's school. The new substitute principal, Mr. Greystone, has a million rules. He becomes so furious when students draw on his bulletin board that he bans colored art supplies, --which has an eerie effect on the once-vibrant school. But Colin's crayons don't want to stay put in the trash can, so they plan an escape. Will kaleidoscopic hues return to Hughes Elementary? This zany picture book will supply readers with plenty of laughs and a wealth of information about color theory.

About this title

About the Author

Lynn Rowe Reed is an author, illustrator and sculptor. She has illustrated a series of picture books about grammar by Robin Pulver, including Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day, which Booklist praised for its "high-energy activity." She lives in Indiana.

Reviews

K-Gr 2–The students at Hughes Elementary School have a new substitute principal, Mr. Greystone. He has lots and lots of rules, of the “NO” and “DON'T” variety. Budding illustrator Colin brings his new giant box of crayons to school and he and his friends try them out on the new cafeteria white board. When Mr. Greystone sees the kids' contributions, he is furious and bans all art supplies and tosses the crayons into the trash. A special guest illustrator is alarmed by the grayness surrounding the children. Meanwhile, the art supplies plan a rebellion, making a color wheel that whirls out of the bin, bonking Mr. Greystone “silly.” The dull principal then sees the error of his ways and finally realizes that “color matters.” Reed's mixed-media illustrations are fabulous examples of color, movement, and humor. The spread where the guest illustrator walks from a vibrant outdoors into a gray school is inspired. This wacky, far-fetched story is an additional purchase for collections looking for books about color theory.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, MEα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Colin is given a spankin’ new box of crayons for the first day of school, but when he arrives, he is shocked to find that the new principal, Mr. Greystone, prohibits color in school. The crayons get dumped in the garbage, where they may be down, but not out. When an artist, Mr. Coleur, visits the now-colorless school, the squabbling crayons get together and form a color wheel. They wheel themselves out of the can, knocking Mr. Greystone in the head and spilling color everywhere. The head bonk seems to open his eyes, because the last, really red spread has him yelling, Color matters! As fun as it is, the story becomes a platform to show off Reed’s zany, eye-popping artwork. Using shapes creatively and color enthusiastically, the pictures have the look of cutouts and collage, and Photoshopped bits of background add interest and depth. But even with the emphasis on color, some of the most intriguing spreads are those in black and white that show how blah a colorless world would be. Several pages of factual information about color conclude. Grades K-2. --Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823422577
• ISBN 13: 9780823422579
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32