Learn to identify colors with these books.
We’ve created a list of 12 colorful children’s books that teach color theory in an entertaining way. These books will help children identify colors and mix colors. All books are chosen by Unabashed Kid’s Editors and are affiliate linked to amazon.com. To purchase books from this list just click on the book cover or title, to shop directly on Amazon.
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
In this story Dog starts off the day with one black spot on his ear. But it seems that wherever he goes, he runs, rolls, and trots right into more colors. As he wanders around town, Dog collects spots made of red jam, blue paint, pink ice cream, and more.
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
All of the animals have colors of their own except for the chameleon. He is yellow like a lemon, even black and orange striped like a tiger! Then one day a chameleon has an idea to remain one color forever by staying on the greenest leaf he can find. But in the autumn, the leaf changes from green to yellow to red . . . and so does the chameleon.
This book is perfect for teaching children to identify all of the colors around us. As a bonus the book also teaches a great lesson about friendship, as the chameleon meets another chameleon to travel with him.
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Duncan’s crayons go on strike. They write letters to express their grievances. What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best? Coloring.
A fun activity for 1st to 3rd graders is to have them write their own letter’s from Duncan or the crayons perspective. This is a great letter writing exercise.
Color by Ruth Heller
This book is for upper elementary kids. A perfect walk through of how artwork is created on paper. Great for an elementary art classroom.
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
Little Blue and Little Yellow are best friends, kept separate. When they finally find each other, they give each other such a big hug that they turn green!
This is an amazing picture book for children as it shows them color mixing instead of telling them. The book has very few words, but tells a wonderful story through images.
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
Did you know that monsters love to scribble, mix, dance, and wiggle?! Why? Because monsters love to make new colors! Children will have a blast reading this story.
Color Dance by Ann Jonas
The girl in red, the girl in yellow, the girl in blue, and the boy in black and white are all set to stir up the rainbow. This super creative story will aid in teaching color mixing.
Mix it Up by Herve Tullet
As the title suggest, the readers will learn to mix colors. Very simple writing with color splattered mixtures. This book gets to the point and is a great reference for learning about color mixing.
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
This playful introduction to colors will appeal to any curious preschooler. One day three white mice discover three jars of paint–red, blue, and yellow. But what happens when they splash in the colors, mixing the red and blue?
A color and food recognition book for toddlers.
The companion book to “1 2 3! What can I eat?” and “ABC Name My Food!”, “Red, Blue, and Green! What colors are on my plate?” is a food-themed book for young readers.
Children look through over 20 brightly colored “real images” of foods and name the color of each food. Fruits, vegetables, carbs, meats, and cheeses make up a beautiful rainbow-colored plate. A perfect book to introduce picky eaters to new foods. Come along for the journey and discover new delicious foods.
Available for $3.99 USD on Amazon
