Nonfiction Monday: Living Color

Living Color

Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Houghton Mifflin, 2007

Steve Jenkins always amazes me. Every book he puts out is truly amazing. His illustrations are always so fantastic. He brings animals to life in a really big way, with details that are perfect.

This book is full of color. It's about animals and their colors. It's full of fascinating facts! I always learn so much from Jenkins' books because he's the master at telling kids unusual things about unusual animals. He brings animal information to kids in unique ways. I teach animal adaptations to fourth graders. I'm always looking for books that present animals adaptations in ways that are interesting and on target with what I have to teach (Sneed B. Collard's books also work great for this unit).

Living Color takes all of the colors of the rainbow and tells about several animals that are that color. Each animal a short phrase that sums up something about them. Then each animal also has a fact-filled paragraph that explains why color is important in their lives.

Like all of Jenkins' books the back of the book has even more information. It answers common questions about animals colors. Then there are little factoids about each animal mentioned in the book. It gives a miniature picture of the animal, it's size, habitat, diet, and another short paragraph full of facts.

This is a teacher's, parent's, and librarian's dream book. When kids have questions about animals or want to know facts about animals, this book has it. But it presents the information in an interesting and beautiful way.

Read an interview with Steve Jenkins by Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast here.