Colour My Days

At first, this looks like a colouring book, as the first pages are in outline when we meet Emmy and Jeff, and then in black and white- “spooky”, and “boring”. Then, on Monday, Yellow brightens the day: there is a duck, a banana, a corn cob, bees, sunflowers, cheese, and of course, the sun. Yellow appears on part of their clothes as we turn to Tuesday, when Blue cools things down with the sea and fish, the sky and birds. The double-page spreads become riotous illustrations of red, pink (Emmy is NOT impressed, but her face becomes pink), green, purple and orange, all the way to Sunday. When, in the next week, all the colours come to play, Emmy and Jeff say “Too much!” and show them the door, but the children remain colourful as they get some rest under the black and white check cover. Words are minimal, but the sheer energy in the illustration is fun, and this will be useful for teaching colours and the days of the week.

Ross Collins has illustrated over 100 books, and written quite a few of them- his previous book There’s A Bear On My Chair was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and won the inaugural Amnesty International Honour in 2016, and the UK Literacy Association prize. On the back of the book, it says that Red Squirrel wants his books to be for all children, because he knows that sharing stories is one of the best things to do, and this is dyslexia-friendly. It’s very enjoyable, too.