Pomelo Explores Color (Pomelo the Garden Elephant)

In this small-format companion to Pomelo Begins to Grow, the eponymous pink elephant with a longer-than-average trunk investigates the subtleties of different shades of the same color. The "melancholy orange of autumn" causes Pomelo to gaze wistfully at a falling leaf, while "the true orange of an orange" is an ode to 1960s/1970s decor, with Pomelo enjoying orange juice in an Eero Aarnio ball chair atop a shag carpet. Some visual elements repeat: ripening strawberries are a "promising red" early on, but one that's gone bad represents "the deflating gray of disappointment." 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. (Oct.)

Gr 1-3--Pomelo is diminutive in stature, long in the nose, and the color of bubble gum. Here, he explores a surprising variety of colors. The text contains moments of brilliance in which color and emotion unite, as in the "explosive red of anger" or the "deflating gray of disappointment." Other comparisons, like the "mustard-yellow pang that goes up the nose" or the "speeding orange of shredded carrots," are somewhat obtuse. And the "always different yellow of wee-wee," while true, may strike readers as an odd choice. Chaud's use of perspective, expression, and color will entice readers to explore each page, but this book may be too peculiar to have mass appeal. Purchase where picture books about art and color are popular or for fans of Pomelo Begins to Grow (Enchanted Lion, 2011).--Jenna Boles, Washington-Centerville Public Library, OH