Wonderful World of Color

Wonderful World of Color

My newest rug!
www.itsalinda.com

The world is a carousel of color, wonderful, wonderful color…

I can still hear those opening lyrics when, as a child, I knew immediately that it was time for one of my favorite shows.  One of Walt Disney’s contributions during his lifetime was Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.  Although it has appeared in varying formats on and off since the fifties, the time of the sixties, with the addition of color televisions to people’s homes, Walt Disney was able to bring his magic directly into people’s homes through television.   As the show began, colors burst forth and the words and music of the Sherman Brothers transported the viewers into the world of, and through, color.  Every Sunday evening, children and adults caught glimpses of the imagination and talents of Walt Disney.  Audiences were able to explore and discover many things and to travel without leaving their living rooms.  Episodes included cartoons, live action segments and informational material presented only as Walt Disney could do.  Ludwig Von Drake even attempted to explain color television in his unique style!  True Life Adventures, with all of the beautiful colors of nature, were my favorites.  The audience saw color in so many places.

Children, as well as adults, are drawn to color.  Think about those wonderful boxes of Crayola® crayons that we’ve all enjoyed.  I can see and feel and smell those crayons right now.  Especially my favorite color red!  Color brightens the day and excites the senses. Going to school for children means brand new boxes of crayons.  As a first grade teacher, I wrote my own Color Unit with lessons, activities, songs and, of course, books, that I always used to begin the school year.  Children love color and, luckily, many children’s authors have written good books about color.  Here are some of my favorites.

• The Art Lesson by Tomie de Paola (Off to school with a big, new box of crayons…or not?)
• Color Dance by Ann Jonas (A beautiful book about mixing colors, complete with color names children love, like chartreuse and magenta and marigold!)
• Do You Know Colors? by Katherine Howard
• Elmer by David Mc Kee (What’s not to love about a multi-colored patchwork elephant?)
• Freight Train by Donald Crews
• Growing Vegetable Soup and Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert (Lois Ehlert’s collage style utilizes color very well.)
• Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O' Neil (Poems about colors)
• How is a Crayon Made? By Oz Charles (A visit to the Crayola® factory)
• If You Take a Paintbrush by Fulvio Testa (We can all be color artists.)
• Mary Wore Her Red Dress by Merle Peek (Watch how the colors evolve from page to page!)
• Monet by Mike Venezia (Great book in a series about artists, written for young children)
• Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh (The mice use color to their advantage to trick the cat!)
• My Crayons Talk by Patricia Hubbard (Written along with Bill Martin, Jr., this book is a fun one to read and reread together out loud.)
• Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch (Oh!  What fun and trouble all kinds of markers can be!)
• Roses Are Red.  Are Violets Blue? By Alice Provenson
• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Sometimes books about colors can teach us much more.  All of the books below teach children about each other and the world around them through color.  They can also provide adults with a wonderful way of teaching children about accepting and understanding others.

• A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni (Everybody has a special color!)
• All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hanamaka (Absolutely beautiful drawings of children showing the beauty in similarities and differences)
• The Land of Many Colors by Klamath County WMPC Preschool Staff and Children (Interesting book that was written by preschoolers and their teachers using colors to teach acceptance and tolerance.  We can often learn from children.)
• Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni (A classic book that uses simple color and illustrations to teach an important lesson to children and adults!
• Regina’s Big Mistake by Marissa Moss (Sometimes mistakes can become masterpieces!)
• Do You Remember the Color Blue? By Sally Hobart Alexander (Although not a book about color, it is a book written to help children understand the author’s loss of vision.  Our school hosted Mrs. Alexander for an author visit.  She is a wonderful author and speaker.)

Colors are everywhere and they make the world a beautiful and exciting place.  At a recent conference, I was privileged, once again, to hear a powerful presentation by Justin Muchoney, the Chief Magic Official.  Justin is a tremendous asset to Walt Disney World and also an excellent speaker.  He spoke about dreams and making your first mark and crayons.  Walt Disney knew a lot about dreams and color and making his lasting mark.  So, grab a book about colors, grab your favorite crayons and make a difference for your children through books and imagination.

(By the way, the photo above is of one of my beautiful handmade "It's a Linda" rugs!  It's made by a very talented artist, Linda Surace, whom I discovered at Shaker Woods Festival some years ago.  She is truly an artist who makes rugs that last and last and last!  It's almost time to go back and get another to add to my home.  You will find her at Shaker Woods Festival in Columbiana, Ohio during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weekends of August.  In the meantime, you can find out more about her at www.itsalinda.com .)