cover image Maisy's Colors

Maisy's Colors

Lucy Cousins, Ensminger. Candlewick Press (MA), $8.99 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-7636-0159-1

Maisy makes preschool concepts fresh as a daisy in these oversize board books. In the first, the adorable, chunkily outlined mouse sports a royal red coat, replete with fur-trimmed crown, and jauntily bounces on a purple rocking horse as she identifies the names and depictions of the colors all around her. Each color is also named on a final spread showing 10 bright balloons. In Count, Maisy cheerfully counts objects as she sails through playtime, dressing up as a pirate with three buckles, drawing a picture using five pencils and climbing seven steps before whizzing down a slide. Quantities from one to 10 are represented in numerals, pictures and words throughout, while the last spread also reviews the information. Toddlers and preschoolers will have fun identifying familiar objects and activities on these pages and will find inspiration in Maisy's unflaggingly friendly face. Cousins's simply drawn figures and rich, bold colors provide the sort of clear contrast that gives everyday ideas childlike verve. Ages 1-3. (May)