20 Colorful Books to Brighten Up the Dark Days of Winter
by Devon A. Corneal
I love winter, but after the holidays are over and the days remain long and cold and grey, I long for a bit of color. If I can’t get it outside, I turn to books. My son and I go the library and pick out the brightest, boldest books we can find to liven things up. We choose books with rainbow illustrations and outrageous combinations of unexpected colors and read them under blankets and in front of fires. They remind us of the flowers we’ll see when the snow melts and spring finally arrives.
If you need a splash of color to offset your freezing temperatures, check out these books:
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Flaptastic: Colors
Forget Roy G. Biv. DK aims to introduce little tots to basic colors and the different shades of each through context. Have fun picking your favorite color and lifting the flaps to find objects associated with that hue.
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How to Grow a Friend
Available from:This lovely picture book parallels a growing friendship with that of a blossoming flower; friends, like plants, require special care and attention. The brightly colored, cheerful illustrations are sure to help shake off the winter blues.
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Islandborn
Available from:Lola was born on an island, but not raised there. When asked to draw a picture of her birth place for school, friends and family help make the Island’s beauty and culture come alive for her — and us. Full of color and vibrancy, this book will remind you of warm and sunny summer days.
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The Little Green Girl
It’s not easy being green, but it is easy to enjoy the magnificent hue with this picture book about a topiary that longs to explore the world beyond her garden walls.
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A Color of His Own
Available from:A chameleon wants to stay one color, instead of constantly changing. So he resolves to stay on a single green leaf forever. He soon learns, however, that you can’t fight who you are.
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The Day the Crayons Came Home
Available from:My crayons never do anything interesting. Duncan’s crayons, on the other hand, get fed up and leave home or go on adventures or complain about their names or ask to be rescued from the couch. They’re anything but dull. If your child loved The Day the Crayons Quit, this newest adventure should be at the top of your reading list.
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The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art
Available from:Learn about art, color, and music in this lovely story about Vasya Kandinsky’s abstract art and the things that inspired him.
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Uni the Unicorn
Available from:Do little girls really exist? Uni the Unicorn believes so. She dreams of one day meeting a magical, mystical little girl, while not too far away a little girl is dreaming of the same thing. With lustrous and bright illustrations, Uni the Unicorn is a story of imagination and wonder.
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Splat!
A super fun, interactive picture book filled with all kinds of colorful messiness, Splat is great for a good laugh. Smashing pies, exploding water balloons, and insect sandwiches — kids will happily turn the page to SPLAT them all!
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The Almost Impossible Thing
Who says a bunny can’t fly? Kids learn the power of hope and perseverance when a little bunny aspires to fly after seeing a bird in the sky. Bright, bold illustrations light up every page and bring the rabbit’s dream to life.
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Pink Is for Blobfish: Discovering the World’s Perfectly Pink Animals
Available from:Think pink is just for princesses? Think again. Pink is also the color of gigantic slugs and naked mole rats and really smart dolphins. Pink is everywhere and pink is awesome.
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Quest
Available from:The follow-up to the 2014 Caldecott Honor Book Journey, Quest is another wordless picture book that continues the adventure of a girl, boy, and purple bird in a magical world that lies behind a red door, where they realize their dreams are bigger than they ever thought possible.
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The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
Available from:Who says horses can’t be blue, or donkeys can’t have polka dots? There are no rules to art, as the great author-illustrator, Eric Carle, knows firsthand. This effusively colorful book will not only brighten your day but encourage your young reader to color outside the lines.
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Wilderness
Available from:With brilliant colors and an engaging seek-and-find element, Wilderness is a vivid homage to the natural world, from Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park to China’s bamboo forests and beyond. You can lose yourself in this one for quite some time.
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Kindness Makes Us Strong
Available from:Sophie Beer’s Kindness Makes Us Strong — following the equally charming Love Makes a Family — is bolstering both through its message and its bright illustrations. As children go about their days, they embody kindness and empathy in all sorts of ways.
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Just Like Me
Available from:Just Like Me, a collection of poetry uplifting girls in all their marvelous uniqueness, opens with a poem called “I Am a Canvas”: “…And then there are the paints that I get to choose / Greens, yellows, oranges, and blues.” What colors would your canvas be?
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In a Jar
Available from:Llewellyn and Evelyn collect the wondrous in jars — from stray feathers to the whooshing sounds of the ocean, and even the colors of the rainbow. Deborah Marcero tells a story of precious memories captured with friends, and her vibrant artwork is one of a kind.
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I Wonder
Available from:Whimsical and captivating, I Wonder approaches the world from a child’s imaginative point of view, playing out questions like “What do clouds taste like?” Pak’s joyous illustrations will buoy you through even the dreariest winter day.
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Lost Ocean
Available from:Grab some crayons or a set of colored pencils and enjoy the intricate and fantastical designs in Johanna Basford’s extraordinary coloring books. They’re great for kids and adults alike.
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