Thinking about Colors

In a jaunty departure from the red-and-blue-make-purple curriculum, Jenkins's debut presses art enthusiasts to consider the emotions, expressions and symbols associated with different hues. Armed with a new paint box, Simon and his friends embark on a color-filled journey across paint-splattered pages. They discover that red conveys anger and passion as well as the promise of help (the Red Cross), that green connotes both jealousy and care (environmental sensitivity). Daubs of paint demonstrating the countless shade variations within each color adorn the top of every spread, tagged with exceptionally specific labels (slime, booger and dragon green; cobalt, Prussian and bruise blue). Unfortunately, Jenkins's text, consisting almost entirely of the children's observations, exudes none of the originality and enthusiasm of the artwork. Ho-hum generalizations (``Picasso was a famous artist. When he was sad, his paintings showed his feelings'') are at odds with the off-beat tenor of the illustrations. Some may object to the book's idiosyncrasies--purple and white are not mentioned at all, yellow and orange are lumped together--but the overall presentation is stylish and striking. Ages 5-10. (Aug.)