Color Our World Themed Picture Books for Creative Kids

All summer long, patrons have been visiting our Forsyth County Public Libaries to participate in special summer programs and check out materials. We've enjoyed seeing our patrons' creations and sharing their excitement at adding their names to our wall of champions and picking up their summer reading prizes. 

As summer winds down, here are a few more Color Our World themed picture book recommendations that creative kids will enjoy.  

What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada; Illustrated by Mae Besom

In Kobi Yamada’s inspiring picture book, What Do You Do With An Idea? a young child has an idea and he’s not quite sure what to do with it. At first he tries to ignore the idea, but it only grows. When he shares his idea, not everyone seems to like it. At first he’s discouraged, but soon realizes that it's okay to be different and he's proud to have his own special thoughts. Mae Besome’s delicate pencil drawings bring this inspiring story to life. 

Have you ever had an idea that followed you everywhere? 

Color Our World Picture Book Recommendations

Forsyth County Public Library's Summer Reading Fun theme is Color Our World. Here are some of the colorful picture books in our collection.

A Rainbow in Brown by Pavonis Giron

Josephine loves to paint and has fun mixing colors to create new ones. She makes a remarkable discovery when she combines primary and secondary colors together that gives her the perfect color for painting horses, frogs, moths, birds, and even herself.  

Color Our World Reading Suggestions for Young Readers

Forsyth County Public Library's Summer Reading Fun theme is Color Our World. Here are few of the colorful books in our collection that young readers will enjoy.

The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart; Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman

Purple people ask questions, laugh a lot, use their voices and work hard. Penny Purple makes a compelling argurment for being a purple person and for just being yourself in this thoughtful picture book by Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart. Dynamic illustrations by Daniel Wiseman show purple people of all ages acting as everyday superheroes by learning, building, laughing, and sharing. 

Color Our World Adult Nonfiction Book Recommendations: When the Earth was Green by Riley Black - Adult Nonfiction

This year's Summer Reading Fun theme is Color Our World. Here is a colorful book recommendation from our adult nonfiction collection. 

When the Earth was Green by Riley Black

Alone, a dinosaur is meaningless. We put them on literal pedestals in our museums, behind glass and railings as befits their place as the world's most ancient and long-standing celebrities. But what is a Tyrannosaurus without a forest to conceal its shadow as it stalks? What is a Triceratops without a buffet of ferns and cycad fronds to eat? 

  

Riley Black            

When the Earth Was Green       

In vivid detail, science writer Riley Black describes the complex relationships between plants and animals that has evolved from 1.2 billion to 15,000 years ago along with interesting facts about biology. The scent of catnip, for instance, irresistible to our feline friends, evolved as a way for plants to defend themselves against insects. 

        

Visit Forsyth County Public Library to sign up for Summer Reading Fun and take part in summer programs for all ages. Library events are open to the public, free to attend, and all supplies are provided. Check out our digital Summer at Forsyth County Public Library magazine or pick up a copy at any branch. Please note that some programs require advance registration.

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

The Museum of Fake Art at Sharon Forks Library

 

Ever since Grant Wood's painting American Gothic was first exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930 people have debated its meaning. Some view it as a satire directed at rural communities while others see it as reflecting on hard-working farm families. How do you view this iconic painting? 

Do you notice something different in this version American Gothic?

Take a good look. It's not an exact representation.

One unique detail qualifies this image for inclusion in Sharon Fork Library's Museum of Fake Art.

Is it the curtains? The brooch? The woman's loose strand of hair?

Actually, all of those details are part of Wood's famous oil on beaverwood painting.

Have you noticed what's not exactly like Grant Woods' American Gothic painting on display at the Art Institute of Chicago?  

Color Our World Staff Picks: The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand by Matthew Gray Gubler an Juvenile Graphic Novel

The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand by Matthew Gray Gubler

What would you do if you had a big green hand? 

Lenore in Matthew Gray Gubler’s graphic novel The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand tries to hide her unusual appendage under a long scarf. Kids at school wonder why she always has a scarf wrapped about one of her hands even on the hottest days of summer and Lenore dreams of having two normal hands. Then one night, Lenore’s hand shares its own frustrating story of how it learned to accept the soft, pink blob that it’s always been attached to and Lenore gains a whole new perspective. 

Filled with simple pencil drawings, The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand is a cute and insightful story for anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable about their physical appearance and needs to relearn that our physical differences aren't what define us. 

Color Our World Nonfiction Picture Book Recommendations

Forsyth County Public Library's Summer Reading Fun theme is Color Our World. These nonfiction picture books explain the unique dying process used to create the colors indigo and purple and the historical significance of both colors.  

My Indigo World:  A True Story of the Color Blue by Rosa Chang

A young girl in Korea falls in love with the color blue of the ocean and sky. Years later, as an adult living in the United States she receives a handful of indigo seeds that she plants on a small farm in Baltimore and learns to make beautiful dye from its leaves.  

My Indigo World explains the process of making indigo dye and the meaning of the color in different cultures. While the deep blue reminds the author of her home in Korea, she learns that the same unique shade of blue reminds other people of their ancestors who were forced to work in fields to harvest indigo plants in the United States.