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As much now as ever, it is abundantly clear that there is a need to bring to our children’s awareness that a variety of people and cultures make up our world. One World Many Colors is a beautiful crossover between exploring colors and world culture in one book.
One World Many Colors is a beautiful combination of a story written by Ben Lerwill and accompanying pictures illustrated by Alette Straathof.
Ben Lerwill lives in Oxfordshire, England, and has four books currently published (Wild Lives, One World Many Colors, Climate Rebels, and Wild Cities). If the other books are anything like this one, I cannot wait to get my hands on them. Along with these children’s books, his writing has also appeared in publications such as The Guardian, The Observer, National Geographic Traveller, and Time Out.
Alette Straathof currently lives in Paris and aside from her illustrations in this book, you can also purchase her prints on her website.
In One World Many Colors, we are taken around the world, highlighting colors that can be experienced everywhere. The illustrations bring movement and intrigue to the different scenery around our world, and the text introduces a new language coupled with approachable language for young children. The illustrations are definitely the appeal to this book, which is great for young children. The bright colors and detail urge the viewer to linger longer on each page. The text provides the names of different countries that are visited through the book, along with a world map at the end - which would have captivated me for a long time as a child!
This was a wonderful color book for a child that already knows their colors and shows a high interest in colors. The trip around the globe is also a wonderful way to introduce colors and give representations to the whole world and the many cultures in the world. It is a great jumping-off point for learning more about the world! I especially liked the introduction of vocabulary not typically found in children’s books and the way it was presented, in a way that the child can learn the meaning of the new word through the illustration:
“The tangled green jungle is swarming with life” - Ben Lerwill
I think this is a great book for a child nearing three years old and up. With the illustrations focusing on the various colors around the world, this book has a high repeating factor to it through childhood. As the child gets older, they become more aware of the animals and people and details in the illustrations. The cultural aspect of the story is appropriate for children as they get older and show a greater interest in the whole world. The map at the end of the story is wonderful for older children as well, as they continue to learn how large our world is and the way it is connected.
I would definitely recommend this book for your home library or as a gift to your child’s classroom. It is a fun book with delightful illustrations, sure to keep you and your child coming back again and again!
Do you want to learn more about what to look for in quality children’s books? Check out this blog post by The Montessori Notebook. It has information about what to look for in a book along with a list of over 75 books to get you started!
Have you read this book? Is there another color book or culture book your family loves? Share it with us in the comments!
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