Blue Goose

When Farmer Gray goes away, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick, and White Duck decide to paint their black and white barnyard. Red Hen paints the barn red. White Duck paints the fence white. When Blue Goose and Yellow Chick mix their paints together they make green for grass and trees. By the time Farmer Gray returns the famr is filled with color. Focusing on primary and secondary colors, this story is a fun and friendly way for children to learn basic concepts. Now available as a sturdy board book, children can watch Farmer Gray's inhabitants paint their world again and again.

This 6 x 6 board book has 34 pages and rounded corners.

Publishers Weekly

-Starred Review-

Farmer Gray's homestead is as colorless as his name-even the sky and grass are gray. So, while he's away for the day, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick and White Duck get some paint and undertake a barnyard makeover. First they cover a few things in their signature colors-and what they redecorate can be surprising: "White Duck painted the fence white. And Yellow Chick painted all the flowers yellow." Next the animals mix the different colors (e.g., yellow and blue make green for the grass.) With a little teamwork, they're even able to paint the sun yellow (this image requires a vertical format so readers can fully savor the effort involved). Tafuri's (The Busy Little Squirrel) animal cast is creative, confident and diligent-there are no pratfalls into paint cans, no falling off of ladders. But the veteran author is more visually playful here than usual: the scenes have the bold, graphic punch of murals. As always, her generously sized animals and pithy text extend a warm welcome to readers, and make this celebration of color ideal for sharing either one-on-one or with a group. Ages 1-4. (Jan.)

Nancy Tafuri is the much-loved creator of more than thirty books for young children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Have You Seen My Duckling? and I Love You, Little One. She lives with her husband and daughter in Roxbury, Connecticut.