Emily Gravett

Chameleon can turn himself into anything and appear to fit in anywhere, but it seems that neither the swirly snail, the green grasshopper nor the striped sock want to be friends. Will he ever find someone to talk to? Someone just like him? 

With a subtle and witty interplay between words and illustrations this introduction to colors and shapes (and chameleons!) is sure to delight kids of all ages.

Blue Chameleon

Kass Reich

This Little Hamster is a spirited playful board book for babies and toddlers. Rhyming couplets and cheerful illustrations will capture the interest of both child and adult readers. This follow-up to Kass Reich’s bestselling debut, Hamsters Holding Hands, is a charming introduction to basic colors that will fascinate little ones.

This Little Hamster

Douglas Florian

Barbara Bakos

Discover animal opposites in this playful board book by award-winning author Douglas Florian. Bears are big. Bees are small. Shrews are short. Giraffes are tall. In this fun, rhyming story by award-winning author Douglas Florian, little ones can meet pairs of animals and discover how they’re different! The pairs include bears/bees, shrews/giraffes, rhinos/tigers, turtles/snails, sloths/cheetahs, eels/tree frogs, hippos/butterflies, and ravens/doves.

Bears Are Big

Marianna Coppo

The humorous adventures of an irresistible little rock who finds herself in constantly changing circumstances, Petra is a picture book that celebrates the power of perspective and believing in yourself. Petra is a little rock who believes she is a mighty mountain . . . until a dog fetches her for its owner, and she is tossed into a bird’s nest. A mountain? No, Petra is now an egg! An egg of the world in a world of possibility. Until she’s flung into a pond, and becomes an amazing island . . . and, eventually, a little girl’s pet rock. What will she be tomorrow? Who knows? But she’s a rock, and this is how she rolls!

Petra

Salina Yoon

Turn the wheel and watch each scene transform with spinning, eye-catching designs! Award-winning artist Salina Yoon’s spectacular display of kinetic art immerses readers in a colorful, poetic journey. From a balloon-filled sky to the deep blue sea, Pinwheel reminds readers of the beauty all around them. Let the fun begin with every spin!

Pinwheel

Ashley Wolff

nature

colors

Explore the world of color with Baby Bear in this clever and adorable story now available as a Classic Board Book!

Baby Bear has so much to learn about the world! From the moment he wakes until it’s time to curl up and go to sleep, he explores outside with his mama. They see green leaves, blue jays, brown trout, and—best of all—a patch of yummy red strawberries.

From bestselling author-illustrator Ashley Wolff, here is a clever concept book that combines engaging and intricate linocut illustrations with a story that enthusiastically encourages children to identify a variety of vibrant colors. Young readers will delight in this chance to join Baby Bear as he discovers the colorful wonders of his lively, leafy forest home.

Baby Bear Sees Blue

Mac Barnett

Jon Klassen

The beguiling second entry in the innovative shape trilogy by multi-award-winning, New York Times best-selling duo Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. This book is about Square. Square spends every day taking blocks from a pile below the ground to a pile above the ground. This book is also about Square’s friend Circle. Circle thinks Square is an artistic genius. But is he really? With the second story in a trilogy of tales about Triangle, Square, and Circle, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen nudge readers toward a more well-rounded way of looking at things. Understated and striking in its simplicity, this funny, thoughtful offering from two of today’s most talented picture-book creators emphasizes the importance of keeping your eyes – and your mind – open to wonder where others see only rubble and rocks.

Square

Pamela Zagarenski

With original and spot-on perceptions, Joyce Sidman’s poetry brings the colors of the seasons to life in a fresh light, combining the senses of sight, sound, smell and taste. In this Caldecott Honor book, illustrator Pam Zagarenski’s interpretations go beyond the concrete, allowing us to not just see color, but feel it.

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors

Disney Book Group

Disney Storybook Art Team

From lavender fields in France, to the blue waters of the Philippines, colors are all around. This adorable board book features sturdy pull-out pages that extend the image with extra, colorful content. Plus with all-new artwork, the vibrant images are an eye-catching delight for young readers.

Color Our World

Chiêu Anh Urban

Celebrate the bright colors of spring with this hands-on color-play novelty board book! Wake up ladybug, look what’s here? Spring brings red, march and cheer. Join award-winning artist Chiêu Anh Urban in this inventively visual experience that allows readers to mix and match the colors of vibrant flowers right before their eyes. Turn the wheels to create and change the bold colors of spring in this deceptively simple and thoughtfully layered novelty book that teaches the joy and wonder of color.

Color Wonder Hooray for Spring!

Katie Wilson

Applying the tactile features of Montessori teaching, this innovative board book uses lightly grained sandpaper tracks to encourage children to trace various shapes as they enjoy whimsical illustrations of each. Shapes introduced include; squares, diamonds, ovals, rectangles, hearts, hexagons, diamonds, trapezoids, octagons and stars. Sturdy board pages and no moveable parts make this a unique addition to an early learning collection.

Shapes

Drew Daywalt

Oliver Jeffers

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?

The Day the Crayons Quit

Danna Smith

Valeria Petrone

pirates

imagination and play

Two brothers use their imaginations to turn their surroundings–from a white bandana and yellow coins to a red blanket and even their baby sister– into a colorful pirate adventure before naptime.

Pirate Nap

Deborah Freedman

An enterprising chicken attempts to help an artist paint the barnyard and accidentally turns the whole picture blue.

Blue Chicken

Paula Vasquez

Mouse and Little Bear take readers on a journey with each page. Start with a color, point out a shape, and then use your imagination. Is that blue square an open window? Brrr! It’s chilly outside. And is that a red triangle? No, it is a scary volcano. Perfect for bedtime or playtime, this fun and unique primer puts a new spin on a classic game, teaching colors, shapes, and creative play.

I Spy with My Little Eye

Diana Murray

Zoe Persico

A celebration of the wonder and colors of every child’s favorite season–summer!  In this celebration of the outdoors, two rambunctious children take off on an adventure from their own backyard. In each new scene they discover the wondrous details–and beautiful colors–of nature. Even when a little summer rain threatens to dampen their grand adventure, the fun continues as woodland scenes come to life in a whole new way.  Diana Murray’s spirited verse paired with Zoe Persico’s charming illustrations hits a wonderful balance of sophisticated and sweet, with details that young children will immediately relate to and layered verse that will enchant readers of all ages.

Summer Color!

Herve Tullet

Accept Hervé Tullet’s irresistible invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of whimsy and wonder. Follow the artist’s simple instructions, and suddenly colors appear, mix, splatter, and vanish in a world powered only by the reader’s imagination. Tullet—who joins such greats as Eric Carle and Leo Lionni as a master of his craft—sets readers on an extraordinary interactive journey all within the printed page. Tullet prompts plenty of giggles in addition to a profound understanding of colors, and once again displays his unique genius and vision in a work that is a glorious and richly satisfying companion to Press Here.

Mix It Up!

PRESS HERE, MIX IT UP!, LET’S PLAY! and now SAY ZOOP! Collect all four interactive books from Hervé Tullet!

Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read-aloud fun for all ages!

Press Here

Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Illustrations and simple, rhyming text explore the many shades of the color green.

Green

Lee White

When you live in the arctic in winter, everything is a shade of white. A young girl looks around her home in the arctic and sees only white, white, white . . . but one day her grandfather takes her out on a journey across the tundra. And at the end of their cold walk, the dark opens up to show the Northern Lights dancing across the sky–blue, green, and purple.

Arctic White

Joanna Lake

Jess Racklyeft

Introducing Lionel and Molly–two best friends exploring the world around them in this touch and feel concept board book. Lionel the lion and Molly the mouse are best friends who love exploring the world together. Join them as they discover the colors and beauty of the seasons, like the bright yellow sun in the summer and big blue rain puddles in the spring.

Lionel and Molly: Colors

Meet Triangle. He is going to play a sneaky trick on his friend, Square. Or so Triangle thinks. . . . With this first tale in a new trilogy, partners in crime Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen will have readers wondering just who they can trust in a richly imagined world of shapes. Visually stunning and full of wry humor, here is a perfectly paced treat that could come only from the minds of two of today’s most irreverent — and talented — picture book creators.

Triangle

Chihiro Takeuchi

Intricate cut-paper artwork and clever die cuts yield an innovative search-and-find book that homes in on colors and counting.

Peek through a shaped opening to spy a beautifully patterned green leaf, a red apple, a white cloud. Then turn the page to discover a world of animals and objects, familiar and new, hidden within the patterns. Can you find two orange basketballs? Three pink flamingos? Five yellow butterflies? Simple, fresh, and satisfying, this stylish board book promises hours of engagement for young children.

Paper Peek: Colors

Multi-award-winning, New York Times best-selling duo Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen deliver the final wry and resonant tale about Triangle, Square, and Circle. This book is about Circle. This book is also about Circle’s friends, Triangle and Square. Also it is about a rule that Circle makes, and how she has to rescue Triangle when he breaks that rule. With their usual pitch-perfect pacing and subtle, sharp wit, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen come full circle in the third and final chapter of their clever shapes trilogy.

Circle

Ashley Sorenson

David Miles

The color is blocked! Readers must rub, turn, and tap the pages to straighten out pipes, unplug corks, and keep the color flowing. But watch out–the color might run faster than you can keep up! Along the way, readers will learn primary colors, how mixing colors can make secondary colors, and why you should never, ever, put a turtle in charge.

Color Blocked

Jonathan Ying

Victoria Ying

Silly animals star in this lively board book that introduces colors in a unique and catchy way. Have you ever seen a zebra wearing pink polka dots? Or a penguin with bright yellow boots? Brother and sister team Jonathan and Victoria Ying present these surprisingly colorful animals and more in this clever celebration of colors.

Not Quite Black and White Board Book

Stan Berenstain

Jan Berenstain

A title in the BRIGHT AND EARLY BOOKS FOR BEGINNING BEGINNERS series. Simple stories and basic concepts are humorously presented in rhythm and rhyme. Pictures that fully explain the text help even the younest children make the important connection between word and meaning.

Old Hat New Hat

Leslie Helakoski

Heidi Woodward Sheffield

“We look at the world every day.
You and me.
Do we see the same things?
Do you see what I see?”

In beautiful, evocative rhyme, this lovely picture book helps children consider the colors of their everyday lives . . . and imagine how others around the world experience the very same things.

No matter where they live, all children gaze at the blue sky, bask in the warmth of the golden sun, dig in the rich dirt, and watch clouds grow soft and rosy at end of day. Through the eyes of one inquisitive and thoughtful young narrator, young readers explore the idea of perspective, and come to realize that all of us, everywhere, share the colors of the world. The gentle, poetic text and gorgeous collaged illustrations make this just right to say goodnight.

Are Your Stars Like My Stars?

Barney Saltzberg

Barney Saltzberg’s irrepressible and imaginative books—Good Egg, Beautiful Oops!, Arlo Needs Glasses, and A Little Bit of Oomph!, combine distinctive art, a lively spirit, and paper engineering to bring great joy to kids (and grown-ups, too). Now Barney is launching a new series of board books about a character named Redbird. With his long orange beak, red body, and friendly expression, Redbird calls to mind Dr. Seuss’s offbeat heroes and Boynton’s zany barnyard creatures, while embodying the author’s signature playful style.

In Colors, Colors, Everywhere!, Redbird tries to pick his favorite color—is it red like him, blue like the sky, or yellow like the sun? Finally, he concludes: Colors, colors, everywhere! It’s hard to really choose. . . . It’s hard to really know! And that’s the reason why I love . . . the colors of the rainbow!

Redbird: Colors, Colors, Everywhere!

Ellen Stoll Walsh

Mouse Paint is a lighthearted introduction to color concepts for young children. Three white mice find three jars of paint - red, blue, and yellow. They jump in and out, dance in the puddles, and discover some amazing things - things like green…and orange…and purple
Yet they never forget about the cat.

Ellen Stoll Walsh’s mice are enchanting. Their antics will delight children learning colors - and their parents as well.

Mouse Paint

Sue Hendra

Paul Linnet

Meet Keith—a very cute cat with a magical hat! When Keith wears the hat, it makes bunnies appear out of nowhere! It even makes a stick move all on its own! But when Keith’s hat falls off, will the magic still work and save the day?

Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat

Alison Jay

Characters from nursery rhymes populate this tale, which highlights the colorful aspects of the familiar poems. Includes a key to the nursery rhymes referenced in the story.

Red Green Blue

David McKee

“McKee’s gentle humor and love of irony are in full force in this celebration of individuality and laughter.” —Publishers Weekly This padded board book has a soft, padded cover and rounded edges, perfect to share with the smallest readers. Elmer the elephant is bright-colored patchwork all over. No wonder the other elephants laugh at him! If he were ordinary elephant color, the others might stop laughing. That would make Elmer feel better, wouldn’t it? David McKee’s comical fable about everyone’s favorite patchwork elephant teaches readers to be themselves and celebrates the power of laughter.

Elmer

Henry Cole

Size is relative, but everything is worth seeing in this concept book from the illustrator of And Tango Makes Three—now available as a Classic Board Book. Beginning with a beautiful close-up of a “big” ladybug, this adorable board book artfully depicts the concept of scale as it zooms out from the bug, to a flower, to a cow, all the way to an expansive spread of sky. Then author Henry Cole masterfully zooms back in from that sky, to a tree, to a house, to a window, all the way to the end where an adorable dog is taking a “little” nap. Young readers will love the lush illustrations of the animals, objects, and scenery of a farm, and they’ll delight in seeing how something “big” can suddenly seem “little” with every turn of a page!

Big Bug

Becky Baur

Explore and identify shapes in this stylish lift-the-flap board book from a standout new artist. Miss Bunny is having a party . . . and you re invited. But what kind of party will it be? That s the fun mystery that will entertain toddlers as they learn all about shapes. Featuring ravishing rabbits in bold designs, this supercool board book has cool flaps to lift on every page.

Miss Bunny's Shapes

Jennifer Adams

Alison Oliver

There’s more to the story than just lions, tigers, and bears – there are also so many colors to explore! From the wicked witch and her evil black dress, to the good witch Glinda and her bright pink socks, you’ll find all of the familiar characters of Oz decked out in brilliant technicolor!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Kathryn Otoshi 

Introduces young readers to numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors by offering the story of ill-tempered Red who got too powerful for his own good and had to be brought down to size by One–a single entity with the courage to stand up for what was right.

I’m not sure what it is about this kid Duncan, but his crayons sure are a colorful bunch of characters! Having soothed the hurt feelings of one group who threatened to quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to be rescued. From Maroon Crayon, who was lost beneath the sofa cushions and then broken in two after Dad sat on him; to poor Turquoise, whose head is now stuck to one of Duncan’s stinky socks after they both ended up in the dryer together; to Pea Green, who knows darn well that no kid likes peas and who ran away—each and every crayon has a woeful tale to tell and a plea to be brought home to the crayon box.

Look for a special glow-in-the-dark picture [Note: make sure to “charge” it under a light first].

The Day the Crayons Came Home

Marthe Jocelyn

A wordless board book that follows the journey of one yellow ribbon as it transforms into many other objects.

One Yellow Ribbon

Ashley G.

In this charming board book little ones will love seeing how just a few shapes make up all of their favorite things—from a rocket ship, to a kitty cat, to a friend, and beyond! What can you make out of a triangle, a circle, a square, and a rectangle? Almost anything! In this delightful board book, artist Ashley G. takes the concept of shapes and makes it fun! Little ones will see how different shapes become a home, a kitty, a friend, a gift, and much, much more! This bright, artistic board book is perfect little hands.

Out of Shapes

Take a walk with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come in Little Master Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A BabyLit® Colors Primer. See old Jacob Marley shaking silver chains, gold stars shining around the Ghost of Christmas Past, and a red scarf keeping Tiny Tim warm. This bright retelling of a Christmas classic will scare any “bah, humbug” feelings away.

A Christmas Carol

Tim Hopgood

Here’s the story of a curious little owl determined to see what the world looks like during the day. And what does she discover? A wow-worthy symphony of colors―from red butterflies to orange flowers, from white clouds to green leaves.

This boisterous and bright book is the perfect read-aloud to savor with curious little owls everywhere who are exploring the world of colors for the first time.

Wow! Said the Owl: A Book About Colors

Sherri Duskey Rinker

Ethan Long

Join Dump Truck on his colorfully busy day at the construction site! Little construction fans will love the colors that fill the world of the bestselling Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, from the BLUE sky in the morning to the WHITE moon at night!

Dump Truck's Colors

Time for the construction site to SHAPE UP! Little construction fans will love learning their shapes by watching Bulldozer CIRCLE around, clearing away TRIANGLES of dirt until the perfect building spot has been SQUARED away. It’s all in a day’s work for the trucks of the bestselling Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site!

Bulldozer's Shapes

Agnese Baruzzi

Part counting game, part guessing game, this delightful board book invites little ones to look at one thing, and guess what else it could be. Each page shows one shape, and then unfolds to reveal an ingenious surprise, sure to captivate curious toddlers.

Look, Look Again

Billy Steers

This new edition to the Tractor Mac series is a board book that teaches children about the different colors of the rainbow. Tractor Mac and his vehicle and animal friends, including Sibley the horse, Pete the pig, and Goat Walter, show kids around Stony Meadow Farm in order to observe the colors of various objects found on the farm.

Tractor Mac Colors on the Farm

Educational Insights

Lucia Gaggiotti

Time for lunch! What’s on the menu at Frankie’s? Find out in this lift-the-flap board book based on a best-selling children’s game.

Frankie’s Food Truck serves a different shape of food every day. On Mondays, Frankie serves squares. What kinds of foods are shaped like a square? Lift the flaps to unveil all sorts of tasty treats, learning about shapes and days of the week as you go. From a square piece of toast to a slice of watermelon in the shape of a triangle, readers are invited to see how many shapes and foods they can find on each spread.

Frankie's Food Truck

Amanda Jackson

Lydia Nichols

Circles were smooth and round. Good at rolling, spinning, and pushing. They all turned together to make things go.

Squares were sturdy and even. Good at stacking, steadying, and measuring. They all fit together to make things stay.

In a world where everybody is a shape and every shape has a specific job, Sam is a square who longs for softer corners, rounder edges, and the ability to roll like a circle. But everyone knows that squares don’t roll, they stack. At least that’s what everyone thinks until the day Sam takes a tumble and discovers something wonderful. He doesn’t have to be what others want or expect him to be.

With playful imagery, this story considers identity and nonconformity through the eyes of Sam, a square struggling to find his true place in the world.

My Shape is Sam

Touch and learn.

Explore the colors of the rainbow in the newest addition to the Montessori-inspired Discovery Concepts series! This colorful title features sandpaper cutouts on each monochromatic spread to encourage young readers to interact with the book as they learn colors. One-of-a-kind colorful illustrations, sturdy board pages, and no moveable parts make this a unique addition to an early learning collection.

About the Discovery Concepts series: Discovery Concepts books celebrate Montessori’s curious discovery approach to learning. Maria Montessori believed “the hand is the chief teacher of the brain,” encouraging students to learn by touch and created specially designed materials such as sandpaper letters to support this method. Inspired by her teachings, each book in the Discovery Concepts board book collection uses tactile enhancements to engage young children in discovering the topic at hand. Beyond the tactile elements each title is designed to capture a child’s imagination and curiosity as they learn.

Colors

Merrilee Liddiard

From the creators of BabyLit(R) . . . Parents and children alike will be swept away by the whimsical imaginings of Merilee Liddiard’s board book Fairy Friends: A Colors Primer. Sunny fairy is yellow like a canary; Violet fairy is purple like a floral ring; Armanth fairy is pink like roses; Persimmon fairy is orange like a monarch. What color of fairy would you be? Merrilee Liddiard grew up in a splendid home filled with delightful artistic chaos and ample creativity. She spent most of her youth making things like lions out of oatmeal boxes and drawing little humans or animals and telling the tales that went along with them. She is known in the blog world for her love of kids design, toys and DIY crafts via her popular blog mermagblog.com. She has authored and illustrated the book PLAYFUL: Fun Projects to Make With + For Kids and sells many of her illustrations and designs as prints, and paper play things in her online shop.

Top 10 Basics For Babies Books

Basics For Babies