Artist Steve Jenkins examines the dynamic palette of the natural world in a playful and informative volume. Jenkins organizes the book by color (red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink), using the various creatures he depicts in his boldy colored, cut-paper collages to exemplify that color in nature and also assign it attributes. “Yellow says . . . Boo!” (Madagascar moon moth, whose unfolded wings reveal a yellow face and eyes.) But it also says, “I’m complicated.” (Common cuttlefish, which changes color to suit its needs in a given moment.) The striking illustrations stand out against bright white pages, which feature a variety of creatures on each page spread. As in his other highly visual volumes about the natural world, Jenkins incorporates factual information into his narrative, and at the end of the volume, where there are additional facts about each creature along with a thumbnail reproduction of its full-color image. (Ages 6–10)

Red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink—animals can be startlingly colorful. Why are they found in so many shades, tints, and hues? From the scarlet ibis to the blue-tongued skink, award-winning author/illustrator Steve Jenkins depicts a whole world of colorful animals in his signature style. Living Color explores a range of animals from old favorites like the pink flamingo to rare and fascinating creatures such as the long-wattled umbrella bird and the ringed caecilian. How do the brilliant feathers, scales,shells, and skin of these animals help them survive? Find out in this strikingly beautiful book how animals use color to warn predators, signal friends, attract a mate, or hide from their enemies.