These 35 books each provide a unique experience to teach preschool students about their colorful world. From well-loved classics to some newer books, and probably a few you haven't heard of yet, this list provides a wide variety to choose from.
1. Red is Best
We all have a favorite color--Sally loves red best! Follow her through her day as she talks about how the color red makes her feel in this color-themed book. I especially loved how red "put singing in her head".
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2. Purple, Green, and Yellow
This hilarious story follows Brigid as she convinces her mother to get her permanent coloring markers in amazing colors. All is going well until Brigid gets bored and starts coloring on something other than paper...
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3. Yellow Hippo
This color concept book focuses on Yellow Hippo and the yellow things in their environment. Reading this book is a great way to reinforce a single color by sight.
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4. One Gray Mouse
This fun book walks young ones through the color wheel and counting to ten using simple words in a rhyming scheme. It can be read multiple times, each time focusing on a different concept.
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5. Nicky's Walk
This book follows young Nicky on a walk and introduces the primary colors with various examples, always in the same order. This would be a great option for introducing a larger color theme or a segue into a color sort (primary colors vs secondary colors).
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6. Moo Moo, Brown Cow
This charming picture book by Eric Carle is filled with teachable content. Follow a kitty cat around the farm yard to learn about various animals--each of which is a different color makes a different sound and has a different kind of offspring. The repetitive format means that it can be read multiple times, each time highlighting a different concept.
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7. Colours
This simple book includes basic colors with single words on the field of the correct color followed by a color illustration of a corresponding item. This would be great for introducing or reinforcing colors as sight words.
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8. Learn-A-Word Picture Books: Colours
This book not only reinforces color names and color recognition but also encourages interactive questioning and vocabulary acquisition. High-quality photographs accompany a brief description for each featured color page spread.
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9. Color Farm
This book does not explicitly mention colors but does have clear examples of each color in the context of various shapes. Reading this book and stopping to ask about various shapes/colors could be a great informal assessment for children.
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10. The Day the Crayons Came Home
One day, Duncan receives a strange packet of postcards in the mail from all the crayons he ever lost--the neon red crayon, the glow in the dark crayon, the brown crayon, and many more friends. Each of these crayons has a story accompanied by an adorable illustration. This funny picture book is sure to become one of your child's favorites.
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11. Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings
This book features interactive shapes and textures, in addition to teaching colors. The tactile connection and funny illustrations are sure to make it one of your student's favorite color books.
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12. Red Rhino
Red Rhino has lost his red balloon! Follow him as he searches for it and encounters many other examples in the world. This is a great book for bringing a specific color into focus.
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13. Maisy's Colors
Everyone's favorite mouse, Maisy, teaches colors to toddlers in this short board book. The bright pictures and short text are great for keeping young ones engaged.
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14. The Color Kittens
I love this classic book about color mixing. Watch these kittens explore the creation of colors through mixing buckets of color. This beautiful picture book brings colors to life.
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15. My Crayons Talk
Did you know that crayons talk? Follow a little girl through all the primary and secondary colors, plus how the colors make her feel. Each page is accompanied by an adorable picture.
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16. Ruby, Violet, Lime
This book features bright photographs of everyday objects. Starting with primary colors and moving to secondary colors, it also includes silver and gold and many different shades of each color.
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17. Blue Chameleon
In this color book, students learn that chameleons can change color. Each page spread is accompanied by a pattern or color and the chameleon in a funny pose to match the example.
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18. The Snow Tree
The beautiful illustrations and warm text are sure to make this book a favorite. Snow has fallen in the wood, and all the colors have disappeared! One by one, each of the woodland animals bring something to decorate the snow tree, bringing back color and ushering Christmas cheer into the woods.
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19. Critter Colors
The simple text and illustrations of this board book will quickly make it a favorite of toddlers. This book explores colors and color mixing with lots of cute critters.
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20. I Spy with my Little Eye
This interactive book is an exploration of colors and the natural world. Readers are given a color and a clue about an animal before turning the page to reveal the answer! This would be a fun segue into playing "I Spy" or students making their own "I Spy" books.
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21. Zoe's Hats
Zoe loves hats in many different colors, patterns, and styles. See what she's trying on in this charming rhyming book. The book includes a few pages of all the hats at the end that can be used for informal assessment at the conclusion of the story. This would be fun to pair with children making or wearing their own favorite hats.
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22. Babar's Book of Colors
Our elephant friend, Babar, is back! Based on the favorite children's series, this particular book highlights colors. Babar's children start by exploring the primary colors plus black and white. Babar then introduces basic color mixing science by having his children combine colored balloons to explore secondary colors, as well as pink, gray, brown, and tan.
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23. New Tricks I Can Do!
This is the sequel to the classic, Put Me in the Zoo. Spot is being kicked out of the circus because everyone has already seen his tricks, but he has learned new ones! Follow Spot as he transforms himself with colors and patterns.
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24. Colors Everywhere
Colors Everywhere from the Guess How Much I Love You series features a calming text and an I-spy opportunity in pastel colors. Its familiar characters and warm aesthetic make a wonderful bedtime story.
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25. Hop! Hop!
This book follows a little boy dyeing eggs at Easter and reinforces color names in both Spanish and English. You could cap off the activity by dyeing eggs with your students.
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26. Red and Green in Spring
Oftentimes, we think of red and green as holiday colors, but this book highlights how they also often appear in spring! This is a great book to use for a color sort or scavenger hunt. It also includes a page with lesson plan ideas at the beginning.
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27. The Season's Colors and How They Change
This color book for children highlights how the colors change in everyday life as the seasons change. The practical examples encourage children to make connections with the outside world and include some brief lesson ideas in the back.
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28. P. Zonka Lays an Egg
P. Zonka doesn't lay many eggs, but when she does, they aren't white eggs, brown eggs, or blue eggs--they are a festival of colors all her own. This book includes a wonderful cultural connection to pysanka or Ukrainian decorated eggs.
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29. Vincent Paints His House
Vincent is going to paint his house white, but each of the animals and insects from the brown mouse to the red spider wants to paint it a different color. What will he do? This book introduces different shades of color, as well as provides an opening to discuss the real-life Vincent Van Gogh.
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30. Curious George Discovers the Rainbow
Our favorite monkey, Curious George, is on another adventure--this time, searching for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! This book includes extra scientific facts and some photographs, making it a solid choice for a wide age range.
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31. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Lunch
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is hungry again! Starting with red soup, he slowly eats his way through the rainbow. The book reinforces color identification but also encourages students to identify common food items as they are eaten.
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32. Black and White
This artistic book plays with black and white in surprising ways! Use this book to teach opposites or how it's important to celebrate our differences.
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33. Tractor Mac Tractors on the Farm
Explore all the colors on a farm with Tractor Mac Tractors on the Farm. The cute illustrations and cheerful rhyming scheme will quickly make this a circle-time favorite.
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34. Vivid: Poems & Notes about Color
This beautiful book is a riot of colors and language in verse form. The verses play with language and help introduce new words into students' vocabulary in the context of color. This book can be enjoyed for years.
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35. This Book is Red
As promised, this book is sure to "drive kids crazy", and yet will be asked for again and again. The colors and words don't match at any point in the book. This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge of colors, along with a few laughs!
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