Color Our World

Recommendations for Summer Reading Theme "Color Our World"

Updated May 27, 2025
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Vincent paints his house
Arnold, Tedd
Paper Book
Vincent is ready to paint his house--but what color should it be?   He starts painting it white, but the spider says it's his house, and he likes red. The caterpillar says it's his house and he likes yellow. The beetle likes purple, and the bird likes blue.  ...
Monsters love colors
Austin, Mike 1963-
Paper Book
An explosively bright and colorful picture book with lots of kid appeal Did you know that monsters love to scribble, scribble, mix, dance, and wiggle?! Why? Because monsters love to make new colors! Celebrate along with the hilarious monsters in this wild and energetic...
I ain't gonna paint no more!
Beaumont, Karen
Paper Book
A New York Times best-selling masterpiece featuring a sing-song rhyming text and humorous energetic illustrations about a spirited child and outside-the-box, creative thinking. When the child gets caught painting everything from the ceiling to the floor, Mama says "Ya ain...
Bailey at the museum
Bliss, Harry 1964-
Paper Book
Join Bailey on a school trip to the Museum of Natural History! Bailey is very excited about the school trip to the Museum of Natural History. After all, he loves to dig up bones even more than an archaeologist! And besides bones, there's lots of fun to be had with tepees, totem...
Willow
Brennan-Nelson, Denise
Paper Book
Mom's Choice Gold Award Winner! Miss Hawthorn's room is neat and tidy, not a pencil or paintbrush is out of place. And that's how she likes it. And she likes trees that are colored green and apples that are painted red. Miss Hawthorn does not like things to be different or out of the...
Maybe something beautiful : how art transformed a neighborhood
Campoy, F. Isabel
Paper Book
In this exuberant picture book about transformation through art, Mira lives in a gray urban community until a muralist arrives and, along with his paints and brushes, brings color, joy, and hope to the neighborhood. What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her...
The artist who painted a blue horse
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
A brilliant new Eric Carle picture book for the artist in us all Every child has an artist inside them, and this vibrant picture book from Eric Carle will help let it out. The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There's a red crocodile, an orange...
Oh, Olive!
Cho, Lian
Paper Book
"Irrepressible. Joyful. Vibrant and full of oomph!" --Andrea Beaty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rosie Revere, Engineer "A stunning, energetic story full of clever humor, heart, and a reminder that art has no boundaries." --Ruth Chan, author...
Art club
Doucet, Rashad
Paper Book
Inspired by the author's own childhood, this contemporary graphic novel paints a picture of an aspiring young artist on a mission to prove that the arts are worth fighting for. Dale Donavan has heard the same lecture over and over again: Art will get you nowhere in life. A kid with...
My weird school goes to the museum
Gutman, Dan
Paper Book
This fun Level Two I Can Read book, geared toward kids who read on their own but still need a little help, is based on Dan Gutman's My Weird School series, which has sold more than 12 million books! A.J. and Andrea are taking a class trip to the museum! Their museum guide has been warned...
Ablaze with color : a story of painter Alma Thomas
Harvey, Jeanne Walker
Paper Book
Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas. Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most...
Mayhem at the museum : a book in pictures
Lozano, Luciano 1969-
Paper Book
Paintings and sculptures come to life when a young girl visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her classmates. What starts as just another tour of the museum becomes a joyful parade as the art, which must not be touched, touches the young museum-goers in surprising ways. ...
Art is everywhere : a book about Andy Warhol
Mack, Jeff
Paper Book
This is the story of Andy Warhol--and how his pop art took the world by storm. From drawing shoes for a shoe company to his Campbell's Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe prints, Andy made art out of the everyday. People claimed Andy's art wasn't real art, but that didn't stop him from making it, plus...
Art
McDonnell, Patrick 1956-
Paper Book
A rhyming tribute to a budding young artist from bestselling, award-winning children's book author and illustrator Patrick McDonell, creator of the beloved comic strip MUTTS.   This is Art. And this is Art. Art and his art...  
Izzy paints
Miller, Tim 1972-
Paper Book
"Izzy's happiness at creating something of their own and the simple but lively text make for a delightful and engaging read-aloud. A charming stroll through the imagination and a testament to the joys of creativity." --Kirkus Inspired by a museum visit, a young koala...
Monet's cat
Murray, Lily
Paper Book
Join artist Claude Monet as he chases his cat through his greatest works! Claude Monet's iconic house was also home to a small white pottery cat. When this cat awakes from its nap and comes to life, it jumps into one of Monet's famous paintings! The cat can't be caught as it...
If da Vinci painted a dinosaur
Newbold, Amy
Paper Book
In this sequel to the tour de force children's art-history picture book If Picasso Painted a Snowman, Amy Newbold conveys nineteen artists' styles in a few deft words, while Greg Newbold's chameleon-like artistry shows us Edgar Degas' dinosaur ballerinas, Cassius Coolidge's dinosaurs playing Go...
Georgia in Hawaii : when Georgia O'Keeffe painted what she pleased
Novesky, Amy.
Paper Book
Georgia O'Keeffe's Hawaiian tour celebrates natural beauty and powerful artistic convictions.Georgia O'Keeffe was famous for painting exactly what she wanted, whether flowers or skulls. Who would ever dare to tell her what to paint? The Hawaiian Pineapple Company tried. Luckily for them, Georgia...
Fancy Nancy at the museum
O'Connor, Jane
Paper Book
Nancy's class is going on a trip to the museum. Even after a bumpy bus ride, Nancy finds a way to make the day extra-fancy in this Fancy Nancy story from the beloved New York Times bestselling author-illustrator team Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser. Nancy's class is going on a...
Color gallery introducing first colors through art
Otter, Isabel
Paper Book
Introduce children to colors and art styles with this fun, quirky board book that includes peek-through gatefolds and questions to encourage active reading. Children are invited into the world of art and color in this bright, quirky board book! Colors as well as basic art styles,...
Bear's picture
Pinkwater, Daniel Manus 1941-
Paper Book
A bear wants to paint a picture, and so he does; however, two fine, proper gentlemen don't think that it is a very fine picture at all. But just because they don't see what the bear sees doesn't make it a bad picture, right? Daniel Pinkwater turns art (and art critics) upside down in this classic...
Curious George and the dinosaur
Rey, Margret.
Paper Book
While visiting the museum with Jimmy's class, Curious George can't resist climbing onto one of the exhibits. The director of the museum isn't very happy about that, but George sure knows how to make a field trip interesting!
The dot
Reynolds, Peter H. (Peter Hamilton) 1961-
Paper Book
With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark -- and follow where it takes us. Her teacher smiled. "Just make a mark and see where it takes you." Art class is over, but...
Sky color
Reynolds, Peter H. (Peter Hamilton) 1961-
Paper Book
The sky’s no limit as the author-illustrator of The Dot and Ish winds up his Creatrilogy with a whimsical tale about seeing the world a new way. Marisol loves to paint. So when her teacher asks her to help make a mural for the school library, she can’t...
Cartooning : the only cartooning book you'll ever need to be the artist you've always wanted to be
Roche, Art
Paper Book
Any child who can make a stick figure can learn to create funny cartoons--and this enjoyably illustrated guide tells them exactly how. Written by professional cartoonist Art Roche, it gives kids lots of hands-on opportunities to turn their creative ideas into delightfully drawn reality. Roche...
The noisy paint box : the colors and sounds of Kandinsky's abstract art
Rosenstock, Barb
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy- he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers-like a proper artist...
Art for little kids : 26 playful projects for preschoolers
Schwake, Susan
Paper Book
Developed for the younger set (4-to-6-year-olds) and targeting one of the most critical developmental periods for children, Art for Little Kids (Little Learning Labs) is the perfect book for both parents and teachers who are seeking enriching and unique experiences to offer this age group.
Art lab for kids : 52 creative adventures in drawing, painting, printmaking, paper, and mixed media-for budding artists of all ages
Schwake, Susan.
Paper Book
Art Lab for Kids is a refreshing source of wonderful ideas for creating fine art with children, offering 52 fun and creative step-by-step art projects set into weekly lessons.  The book begins with drawing, then moves through painting and printmaking, and...
Anywhere artist
Slade-Robinson, Nikki
Paper Book
"I don't need paint or paper. I can make art anywhere. My imagination is all I need." This appealing book inspires kids to create their own anywhere art!   In spare, delightful text and illustrations, an exuberant young artist looks deeply at the world around her and...
The artivist
Smith, Nikkolas 1985-
Paper Book
An inspiring picture book about how children can combine art and activism in their daily lives. "They say I'm an artist. They say I'm an activist." When a young boy realizes the scope of inequities in the wider world, he's seized with the urge to do more. He...
Simon at the art museum
Soontornvat, Christina
Paper Book
A little boy visits an art museum for the first time in this fun, sweet picture book about first experiences and seeing things from new perspectives. Simon is having a great time at the museum with his parents. There are slippery, slidey floors! Pigeons flying around the...
Kid artists : true tales of childhood from creative legends
Stabler, David
Paper Book
Hilarious childhood biographies and full-color illustrations reveal how Leonardo da Vinci, Beatrix Potter, Keith Haring, and other great artists in history coped with regular-kid problems. Every great artist started out as a kid. Forget the awards, the sold-out museum exhibitions...
Music!
Thompson, Carol 1971-
Paper Book
We're amazing! We can make music, dress up, sing and dance. There's nobody quite like us! Enjoy the antics of this inclusive and diverse group of friends, as they celebrate the natural and boundless creativity to be found in every child.
Chalk
Thomson, Bill 1963-
Paper Book
A rainy day. Three kids in a park. A dinosaur spring rider. A bag of chalk. The kids begin to draw...and then...magic! The children draw the sun, butterflies, and a dinosaur that amazingly come to life. Children will never feel the same about the playground after they experience this astounding...
The artist
Vere, Ed
Paper Book
A brave little artist goes on an epic adventure to share her creativity with the world in this picture book from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Ed Vere. It's an inspiring exploration of the creative spirit, perfect for fans of What Do You Do with an Idea? and The...
Mouse paint
Walsh, Ellen Stoll
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Lois Ehlert and Press Here, this charming picture book gently explores the world of color and celebrates the joy of creativity. One day three white mice discover three jars of paint--red, blue, and yellow. But what happens when they splash in the colors...
Art & Max
Wiesner, David
Paper Book
Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max's first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls. Although Max is...

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