Pomelo Explores Color

STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
"In this small-format companion to Pomelo Begins to Grown, the eponymous pink elephant with a longer-than-average trunk investigates the subtleties of different shades of color. [...] As if expertly parsing the unexpected emotions that colors evoke wasn't enough, each one of Chaud's understated and surreal vignettes could spawn a story of its own. Ages 3-up."

"An unusual look at colors provides something for preschoolers and something more for older kids. [...] Badescu places all the whites in a row, then the yellows, then the oranges, creating a calm neatness that holds things steady while the color examples bounce between conventional and complex. [...] Chaud's art is sweet, offbeat and eye-catching...." -- Kirkus Reviews

STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
"In this small-format companion to Pomelo Begins to Grown, the eponymous pink elephant with a longer-than-average trunk investigates the subtleties of different shades of color. [...] As if expertly parsing the unexpected emotions that colors evoke wasn't enough, each one of Chaud's understated and surreal vignettes could spawn a story of its own. Ages 3-up."

"An unusual look at colors provides something for preschoolers and something more for older kids. [...] Badescu places all the whites in a row, then the yellows, then the oranges, creating a calm neatness that holds things steady while the color examples bounce between conventional and complex. [...] Chaud's art is sweet, offbeat and eye-catching...." -- Kirkus Reviews
"This book doesn't just point children to which color on the page corresponds with which word. It also shows them how different colors can smell and taste ('the acidic yellow of lemon') and surprise, and how they make the observer feel and discover. It makes the reader, of whatever age, want to see color the way Pomelo does, for the first time or from a fresh angle. There is humor ('the always different yellow of wee-wee') and giggles ('the mustard-yellow pang that goes up the nose'). The 'perfect pink of Pomelo' is illustrated by a closeup of Pomelo's rear end, with its scraggly pip of a tail. ... And there are unexpected emotional moments--'the melancholy orange of autumn' offering a contrast to most picture books' cheery depictions of fall. Readers are similarly offered a look into 'the shadowy blue of the Unknown, ' with Pomelo uneasily plunging his trunk into an indigo void. There is even something slightly menacing about 'the hypnotizing red of love' with a whirly-eyed Pomelo besotted by a heavy-lidded frog. ...Benjamin Chaud's resplendent illustrations make you want to hug the pages of this aptly small-scale and chunky-sized book. This is a book to dive into, to hold, to gaze at. It's a book that makes you want to ponder 'the puzzling purple of eggplant' and 'the energizing purple of turnips.' It's a book that's worth a second--and a third, and a fourth--look." --Pamela Paul, The New York Times
"...the lively illustrations practically bounce off the page as Pomelo examines all the diverse color hues and the occasionally complex emotions that they evoke. Whimsical and fun, this inventive picture book shows children how to view color in an entirely new way." --Laura Di Giovine, Portland Book Review
"Altogether very smart and clever." --For Immediate Release Reviews