The Color Collector

by Nicholas Solis, Renia Metallinou (Illustrator)

Overview

The Color Collector is a poignant story about newness, friendship, and common ground. When a boy notices the new girl picking up all manner of debris and litter on their walks home from school he wants to know why. So she shows him the huge mural she's created in her room that reminds her of the home she left behind. He learns all about where she's come from and they both find how wonderful it is to make a new friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534111059
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	04/15/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	403,979
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD340L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

2021-03-02
A homesick young immigrant collects colorful scraps in an effort to re-create the colors of the home she has left behind.

A muted double-page spread in shades of gray introduces the story, the only touch of color coming from the violet bands holding the braids of a lonely girl on the school playground. From the narrator—another child in the school—readers learn her name is Violet and she is new. They walk home the same way every day, and a quiet, tentative friendship develops between the two. On the walks, Violet picks up colorful cookie wrappers, bits of paper, bottle caps, and leaves, all disappearing into her backpack. When finally asked the purpose of her collection, Violet extends an invitation to her home and reveals a bedroom exploding with lush colors. Every piece of paper, every leaf, has found a place in the vast collage that encompasses all of her room, depicting the sky, beach, palm trees, and village the homesick child misses so much. “I miss the sounds and smells. And I miss the colors.” Where she comes from is not stated, but Violet is Black and is perhaps from the Caribbean or from an African country. Violet having finally confided in someone, readers will see that not just her room, but even the outside is now colorful, and both children are smiling. (Violet’s new friend is also now revealed to have beige skin and straight, dark hair.) Sometimes, that’s all it takes: one person to show interest in a lonely child. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 28.8% of actual size.)

A good discussion starter on empathy. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews