Oh my word. When was the last time a children's book gave you goosebumps? An astounding homage about the raw power of colour and harnessing (or is it freeing?) creativity. ( )

I am obsessed with this book. I love it so much. Top three books I've read all semester. If I wrote a children's book, it would be a lot like this one. It's poetic, bold, figurative, playful, wild, and fun to read. It breaks the rules of traditional children's stories in such a delightfully refreshing and whimsical way by personifying color. The author introduces us to a wild little girl who possesses an extraordinary sensibility to understand the LIFE of color. I think this books sets children up to understand figurative language, to develop poetic sensibilities, to love art, to love creating, to understand that there is freedom in creation, to love reading and to ask "why not". An absolute must OWN. ( )

Swatch loved color, and color loved Swatch back. Swatch is a color tamer, training and collecting colors of all kinds. But when she tries to coax Yellowest Yellow into a jar, she is reminded that colors are wild. But her act of kindness is rewarded with a wonderful ride.

"With a little patience, she learned to hunt the rare ones.
Bravest Green shot up the first week of March."

See also: I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille, Wild by Emily Hughes

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Re-read April 2021 (referral gift from Tinkergarten) ( )

I have long adored Julia Denos' lovely illustrations in picture books and chapter books and now, finally, she has her own book. Appropriately enough, it is an exuberant celebration of color.

Swatch is a wild girl who lives in a place of wild colors. She tames the colors and teaches them to do magical things but one day she captures Just-Laid Blue in a jar. Soon she is capturing all the colors and it's only when Yellowest Yellow makes her stop and think that she remembers the colors are even better and more wonderful when they are wild.

Denos' language is simple and lovely, but it's really secondary to the gorgeous, stunning, exuberant COLORS. Swatch's messy black hair, tamed with a splash of color that can work as a mask, cape, or hairband, captures her wildness. And the colors...oh the colors. I can hardly find words to describe them. Dozens of colors, splashing across the pages, filling jars, exploding across the page, exploding into barely-formed images, swooping like birds....you just have to read and love it for yourself.

Verdict: A little long for a storytime, but perfect to accompany a program on colors, paint, or just to read and pore over again and again, enjoying the lovely art.

ISBN: 9780062366382; Published 2016 by Balzer + Bray; Purchased for the library

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