When I decided to update my Vocabulary Units, I knew I wanted to include some interactive read-alouds. It is so important to read high quality, engaging texts to all students - English Language Learners are no exception. I was looking for books that would interest students, provide opportunities for discussions, and included rich vocabulary. I also wanted books that weren't too long so that primary level students would attend throughout the story. My first collection of colors read-alouds feature the colors of the rainbow. This time I looked for books featuring other colors like black, white, pink, gray, and brown. These were the best of the best.
Mix it Up by Hervé Tullet
Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet is the perfect book for learning about colors. It is interactive and students will love following the author’s directions to mix colors. The page images look like wet paint, which will delight any budding artist. If you have the chance – it would be so much fun to have students mix paint along with the book. If students enjoy Mix It Up! they may also enjoy Press Here by the same author.
Discussion Questions:
Before Reading This book is called Mix It Up! What do you see on the cover? What do you know about mixing paint colors.
p. 9 Now that all the colors are here – what colors do you see? Do you see your favorite color?
p. 13-14 What will happen when you take a little bit of the blue and mix it with the yellow? (Ask the same for the next two pages – red to blue, yellow to red)
p. 25-26 We know that mixing the yellow and blue will make a green. Do you think tilting the book will change the way it looks? How will it change?
p. 45-46 Now we are going to mix white with the colors to make them lighter. What might you need a lighter color for? What might you need a darker color for?
After Reading Do you like to paint? Did this book inspire you to want to try painting?
Post-Reading Activity:
After reading, students can use markers or paint to try mixing colors.
Elmer by David McKee
Growing up, Elmer by David McKee was always one of my favorites. Elmer is a colorful elephant who lives with a herd of gray elephants of all shapes and sizes. Elmer always had fun games to play and jokes to tell. One day, Elmer decides to try being elephant color. When he returns to the herd, he notices that no one is laughing. In the end, Elmer decides that being himself is best. This is a great book for teaching students to value what makes them unique.
Discussion Questions:
p. 1-2 Here we see a herd of elephants. The text says, “Elephants young, elephants old, elephants tall and short, fat and thin.” Can you find elephants that fit those descriptions?
p. 5-6 Elmer and the elephants are having fun. How do you think the other elephants feel about Elmer?
p. 11-12 What do you think Elmer is going to do with these elephant-colored berries?
p. 15-16 When Elmer walked through the jungle the first time what did the animals say? Why is it different this time?
p. 19-20 Why aren’t any of the other elephants laughing and playing? What do you think Elmer is going to do?
p. 29-30 Look at all the elephants in the Elmer’s Day Parade! Which one do you like best? Why? Which one is Elmer? How do you know?
Post-Reading Activity:
After reading, students can identify the different story elements - setting, characters, beginning, middle, and end. Or have students color and describe their own elephant.
What Color is Night by Grant Snider
When you think of night-time the color that usually comes to mind is black. What Color is Night by Grant Snider points out all the color in the night. Color from streetlights and stars, color from the moon and the moths. The text has a subtle rhyme and rhythm to it, almost like a lullaby. The illustrations are made with bold lines and large shapes, making them easier to see with the dark colors. This book will encourage everyone to look out their window at night and search for colors.
Discussion Questions:
before reading This book is called What Color is Night? What color do you think of when you think about night-time? Do you think the night can have any other colors?
If you are looking for these discussion questions and activities ready-to-print and use please check them out in either my Colors 2 Vocabulary Unit or my Colors 2 Read-Alouds resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. If you chose to read any of these books with your students I'd love to hear about it! You can e-mail me at TeachingEternity@gmail.com, or connect with me on Instagram, @TeachingEternity.
p. 11-12 Do you see the fireflies in the park? Have you ever seen fireflies before? Where did you see them?
p. 15-16 Do you know why moths like to fly near the light? Have you ever seen moths do this?
p. 17-18 There are lots of lights in the city! There are lots of neon red signs – but what other lights do you see?
p. 19-20 Now we are leaving the city. Where do you think night-time color will come from in the country?
p. 37-38 The girl is dreaming about flying over the clouds. This picture is very colorful. What colors do you see?
Post-Reading Activity:
After reading, students can draw and label things that they see at night.
Not Quite Black and White by Jonathan Ying
This exploration of Black and White is surprisingly colorful. Each black and white animal has a colorful trait. From a penguin with yellow boots, to skunks with blue trunks, each page will delight the reader. Each pair of pages has rhyming text, and the entire book has a rhythm perfect for reading out loud. The illustrations are simple. There is just enough detail to make them fun to look at, but not so much as to overwhelm. Each illustration is done in black and white, except for the pop of color each animal sports. Not Quite Black and White is a perfect addition to a classroom or home library.
Discussion Questions:
before reading What animals can you think of that are black and white?
p. 4-5 The Dalmatian is feeling brave in a red cape? Why would a Dalmatian need to be brave? What is a job Dalmatians usually have? Do you see a clue to the job on the page?
p. 8-9 The llama is wearing a scarf to stay warm in the mountains. What do you wear to stay warm? Did you know that scarves can be made from llama wool? Do you think she is wearing a llama wool scarf?
p. 12-13 The horse is wearing an orange vest to direct traffic. Why is orange a good color for this job? Who else can you think of that wears an orange vest like this? Is their job anything like this job?
p. 16-17 The cow is bringing milk for kids. Why is that the perfect job for a cow?
after reading That was a fun book! Which animal was your favorite? Why? Did any animals surprise you?
Post-Reading Activity:
After reading, ask students to draw or color black and white animals using non-traditional colors. Then write a sentence to describe the animal.
Cat's Colors by Airlie Anderson
Cat’s Colors by Airlie Anderson is a simple picture with an adorable surprise at the end. It starts with a white cat on a gray day. Cat decides to go exploring and collect some colors. The illustrations are clear and simple to match the clear and simple text. As cat wanders, dots of color pop up on her fur. She spends the entire day walking around and collecting colors until she finally falls asleep in a patch of tall grass. In the morning there is a little surprise that will make everyone say “Aww!”
Discussion Questions:
p. 1 Cat is doing gray day things. What kinds of things do you like to do on cloudy gray days?
p. 4 Cat is going to collect colors? What colors do you think she might find? Where do you think she will find some color on this gray day?
p. 5-6 Cat found green in the leaves. What do you see happened to cat when she looked at the green leaves? Is that something that could really happen?
p. 11-12 The text says, “Cat reflected on the blue pond.” What does reflected mean? Where do we usually see our reflection?
p. 17-18 The text has the phrase, “sparkling black cosmos.” What does the word cosmos mean? What is cat looking at? What is making space sparkle?
p. 25-26 Cat had some adorably colorful kittens. One for every color she found. Can you remember where she found each color?
Post-Reading Activity:
After reading, students color a cat and describe where each color came from.
Click the image above for a list of more picture books about colors.
