Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue?

by Tana Hoban

Book Overview

A wordless concept picture book meant to teach basic colors to very young children does its work excellently.--Booklist.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688801714
• ISBN13: 9780688801717
• Release Date: October 1978
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 10.1" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

interesting photos

My 17 month old likes to focus on the interesting pictures in this book. He is are also learning to identify the colors when I point to the color circles, but right now, my son is most interesting in staring at the pictures. I was surprised to learn that the book has no story---but we get creative with making our own stories to match the pictures. Nice book.

That's right. All the colors of the rainbow.

Any book of color photographs runs a very great risk of being dated. Color photographs fade so easily, and styles change so quickly that this book could easily be shunted into the realm of forgotten children's literature. But take a look at it, even once, and your perceptions will change instantly. This book is about color. And its photographs fairly throb with life and vitality, the like of which you'll have great difficulty finding in any kids books published today.The book begins with a key. Red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple are arranged next to corresponding circles of the same color. As you flip through the book, these circles appear at the bottom of the page, indicating what colors can be found in each individual picture. As the kids go through the book, they can flip back to the key at the front to determine what the name of each color is. As they use this book, they will learn their colors, and eventually be able to use the text without constant flipping backwards and forwards.And the photographs? As an artist who has shown her works in the MOMA, Toban's photos are best described on the back of the book as, "an artistic statement as well as an introduction to reality". The shots are of city scenes, brimming with color and action. The children caught in these pictures are multi-ethnic, playing and running and posing. Regardless of where a child lives, this book will inspire any kid who has ever wanted a look at a beautiful multi-colored America. You could do worse than to buy this book for your kids. And you could certainly do no better.

Wow - pictures of the city...

and they're luscious! This is the book that first awakened my daughter (at 19 months old) to speaking about color. But regardless of color concepts, I would have wanted to share these photographs, which make me love things like a broken umbrella in a trash can. It's art for toddlers: She was absorbed.

Great for visual learners

I've used this book in my early childhood art classes. The children love to find the items in the photographs that match the colored circles on the bottom of each page. With few words and many visual surprises, this book, as with so many of this author's works, helps us to become more visually aware of our surroundings. I highly recommend Tana Hoban's concept books to parents, early childhood educators, and all who delight in re-discovering the familiar. Her photography skills, powers of observation, and visual wit help us to see the world anew!

Sydney's Favorite

This book has brought the bright colors of the world alive for my 18 month old daughter Sydney. We first read the book together at a friends house, we new then that she had to have it! As a parent, I appreciate the help that the book gives in teaching my daughter how to recognize colors. This is one of those books that will be a night time favorite for you and your child to share.