Book Review: The Color Book by Sophie Benini Pietromarchi

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Tara Books, via 45th Parallel PR, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

Have an artistic child and looking for something different to put in their Easter basket?

I have a great new book for you!

Synopsis:

“What’s my color book about? If you ask me, I would have preferred to color quietly, instead of talking. I’m marking this great white page with blue ink, but ideally, I would rather not have written any words at all. Color speaks for itself better than words can – you can ‘feel’ color, and it goes straight into your heart. . . 

So what I’m hoping to do here is to let you actually get to know colors. Meet them face to face, by yourself. Not just through words, but by playing around them. That’s the only way to become friends. My words are going to take you on a kind of dance around color—I’ve even made up a word for this dance, I’m calling it THE COLOR DANCE.”

In this much-anticipated sequel to the bestselling The Book Book, artist and educator Sophie Benini Pietromarchi takes children into the world of color. Illustrated in remarkable collage artwork, and written in an intimate, easy tone, The Color Book is an exciting journey from childhood memories and the feelings that colors can create, to the practicalities of mixing shades and creating a personal color diary. A wonderful, imaginative resource for children eight-years-old and up, and for artists of all ages.

Review:

As you can see from the pictures, this is a book that draws you in when you initially flip through it. All the illustrations are eye catching pops of color! In fact, Miss Grace saw the page below with a dancer's sleeve and declared the book 'Irish worthy'. I would have to agree- you could get some great color design ideas for an Irish dance dress from the book!

But the book is not just about showcasing COLOR, it's about teaching about color. Sophie shows children how to add white to a 'shell' color and change it (see pix below).

She also shows color spectrum relationship and how different colors can have different names, depending on where you liveI loved the area on how to make eye colors- color combinations I had never used before! She also shows kids how to make their own color palettes, and their own color book as well! 

This is a great reference and inspiration book for the budding artist, and we highly recommend it as part of your Easter basket or Summer crafting planning!

About the Author: 

Sophie is an established author and illustrator of children’s books. She was born in Paris and graduated in graphic design and literature at the University of Florence, Italy. Her stories and images have been published in Italy, Switzerland, India, Israel, China, Portugal, Spain & France. Sophie also conducts workshops throughout Europe, encouraging children to explore a wide range of storytelling and illustration techniques. She lives in Rome with her photographer husband and their two children.