Colors!/¡Colores!
Reviewed by Ann Welton, Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, Tacoma, WA -- Críticas, 5/15/2008
Luján, Jorge.
tr. from the Spanish by John Oliver Simon and Rebecca Parfitt. illus. by Piet Grobler. Canada: Groundwood/Tigrillo: House of Anansi Press. 2008. unpaged. ISBN 978-0-88899-863-7. $17.95
K-Gr 3–From the delicate sunrise to the peace of deep night, this beautifully conceived and executed look at colors fuses minimalist, expressive poetry with exquisitely balanced watercolor paintings. “Rocked by the tide, beige fell asleep on the sand,” opens the first spread, the sea shore suggested in the washed illustration. A few children and an antelope provide the link between pictures to create a cohesive whole. Who would not want to live in this world, where harmony is the touchstone? The poetry is just a tad better in the original Spanish, due mostly to its inherent assonance. However, the translators have done a solid job of keeping to the spirit of the original and approximating the rhythm and rhyme of the Spanish text. Possessing some of the delicate qualities of the art of the great Irene Haas and reminiscent of Mary O’Neill’s classic Hailstones and Halibut Bones (Doubleday, 1961), this title remains sui generis. With great child appeal, Colors!/¡Colores! also has application as a pattern book for students of both poetry and art—and what an amazing way to introduce secondary colors, from pink to violet! An example of how one can paint with both brushes and words, this little book with classic potential deserves a place in both bookstores and libraries.
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