cover image Color Me Bright

Color Me Bright

Shirley Greenway. Charlesbridge Publishing, $3.95 (7pp) ISBN 978-1-879085-53-4

Vivid color photographs from Oxford Scientific Films lend drama to this quartet of Animal Board Books, each devoted to a different aspect of animals' anatomies. The most successful is Color Me Bright , with deeply hued photos set against equally richly dyed borders; the picture of ``a blue butterfly,'' for example, floats on a cornflower-colored page. The other three books demonstrate a less dynamic sense of color. Highlights from Tails include illustrations of ``a coiled chameleon tail'' and ``a wrinkled elephant tale''; Legs has more predictable offerings (flamingos, giraffes) but presents a highly striking image of ``nimble frog legs.'' Ears contains similarly obvious choices, with the exception of an arrestingly displayed photo of ``sensitive bat ears.'' Children, however, will appreciate the balance of familiar and new in Greenway's menageries. All in all, she issues an inviting introduction to the wild (and not-so-wild) kingdom. Ages 2-5. (Aug.)