Before Oliver, my experience with little kids was essentially ZILCH, and that’s being generous and rounding up. So, I’m always researching child development and monthly milestones, which to be honest, causes a lot of anxiety because from what I can tell, I’m doing everything absolutely wrong. However, I read recently that even if they cannot communicate it well, children start understanding different colors around 18-months old, which is right around the corner for Oliver. Of course, I couldn’t resist finding books that focus on color, so here are five books that teach color we are reading:
Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
I don’t know about you, but in our household, stories featuring woodland creatures are always a hit. Bear and Mouse explore the woods and meet their friends along the way. Each page is dedicated to one color, and children are invited to seek out things in the picture that are certain colors. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle
Can any list about learning colors be complete without this classic?! Simple sentence and big, colorful pictures of animals entrance Oliver. We’ve been reading this one since he was born. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
Mixed: a Colorful Story by Aree Chung
Reds, Yellows, and Blues used to get along until Reds started shouting that they were the best. Then, their community becomes divided until one day and Blue and Yellow fall in love and mix. This is one part story that teaches colors and one part analogy about the importance of diversity in the community. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
When Duncan goes to retrieve his crayons, he finds instead a letter from his colorful pals informing him they have quit because they are tired of only being used to color wheat, or they are exhausted from coloring massive grey animals like elephants and rhinos. This is such a cute story, and any book that features illustrations by Oliver Jeffers is a must-read. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
The only thing monsters like more than colors is to scribble, scribble, mix, dance, and wiggle to come up with new colors for their grey monster pals. This book also associates color with more abstract ideas, like “Red is the color of ROAR and SNORE and more, More, MORE!” We will be purchasing this one next time we go to a book store because it is Oliver’s new favorite book. I have to read this at least four times a day. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
What are some of your favorite books that teach colors?
By Golly, Ollie! 
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