Retro Thursday: little blue and little yellow by Leo Lionni, reviewed by Squirt

Okay, normally when we have a retro book it is on Tuesday, and it is Miss Ami reviewing a YA book that isn't new, but which other people may have missed when it first came out. Got all that? Today, however, it is ME, on a Thursday, reviewing a picture book that came out a long time ago, but was recently rereleased. So, basically, the exact same thing. Only not.



Jacket description:

"Little blue and little yellow are best friends. One day they can't find each other. When they finally meet, they hug and hug - until they become green! But where did little blue and little yellow go?"

This book has all the things I like in Lionni's books; simple shapes, bright colors, and a fun story with few words but much to enjoy. For those parent/teacher types, everal obvious story extensions leap out. You can, of course, experiment with mixing colors (I wonder how much food coloring it would take to dye the water in my tank?) You can find out ways to separate substances that have been mixed (markers on coffee filters, evaporating salt water, etc.)You can discuss friendship and whether our appearance is the sum of who we are. This 50th anniversary edition also tells how the story came to be, a cute tale in its own right. From there you can pass out magazines and have kids make up their own stories the same way.

Miss Ami says this makes a great read-aloud, and I plan to bug her to read it to me over and over again.