Every Color

Every Color by Erin Eitter Kono (2016)

A polar bear longs for color in his snowy world, so his seagull friends enlist the help of a girl who mails bear a beautiful rainbow picture. While he loves the gift, it doesn’t quite solve his problem. So the girl spirits him away in her boat, and takes him adventuring all over the world. They paint pictures of all they see and send them home, so when bear returns he realizes that the whole world is reflected in his white home—and always had been. With a strong girl saving the day, bold colors, and a gorgeous painting of the Northern Lights, this is a great story for sophisticated storytime groups.

Themes/topics: colors, snow, arctic animals, boats, adventure

Sample text from two spreads:

It was the most amazing thing Bear had ever received. But the gift didn’t take away his discontent.

When Bear’s thank you note arrived—Seagull Express—the girl realized that she needed to go to him. She understood that he looked for color, but could not see it. She rigged her skiff and sailed across the ocean. “Come with me,” said the girl when she finally reached Bear. “I know where to find what you need.”