The colossal book of colour by Lorna Hendry

Wild Dog Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781742035727.
(Age: 6+) Recommended. With several pages introducing the idea of colour and its importance, Hendry then has a double page about white light, introducing the terms dispersion and refraction in terms which will be easily understood. Following this she are two fascinating pages describing what colour is and how we see colour. Then a double page on each of the colours black and white follows.
When the book is read from cover to cover, the scheme makes sense but it is hard to dip in and out without a contents page or index.
A colour wheel explains the positions of colours in relation to each other, the primary and secondary colours and how they form complimentary colours. The primary and secondary colours each have a double page in which the colour is explained followed by several more pages showing different aspects of that colour. Blue for example has a page on why the sky is blue and the colour of snow, as well as a page about colour blindness and a series of colour perception tests.
Each page is fascinating and begs the reader to read it all, thinking about it as they go, trying out some of the tests for themselves, and attempting some of the suggestions. I love the facts given at the end of some of the pages, the 'did you know' section will be lapped up by eager readers.
With sections about the colours only animals can see, or how to make your own dyes, how colours help some animals survive, the colours of music, each page offers a variety of information and will keep readers interested. And illustrated in the vibrant colours described, interest will not wane.
Themes: Colour, STEM.
Fran Knight