Review by Booklist Review
This exploration of the color that Chaucer described as "betwixe yelow and reed" begins with the question of where the word orange even comes from. From there, Poliquin covers a wide range of topics related to the color orange, from the minerals historically used to make orange pigment (now we know they're poisonous!) to the variety of orange tones used in architecture (the Golden Gate Bridge; Tokyo Tower), art (Christo's iconic installation, The Gates), cultural dress (saffron robes in Tibet), flags, and so on. Less a systematic overview than an observational jaunt, the text meanders from topic to topic, but Morstad's lovely, warm watercolor artwork imbues the pages with a lovely sense of atmosphere, depicting close-ups of sunset-hued flowers and animals, people embracing bouquets of marigolds, monarchs fluttering, and astronauts modeling their International Orange--colored spacesuits. While it would have benefited from back matter, this pleasantly rambly book nevertheless encourages little ones to pay closer attention to the world around them and notice instances of this common color with a fascinating history.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With endearing chattiness and nerdy enthusiasm, this poetic tribute to "the color between red and yellow" feels perfectly poised to turn readers into orange enthusiasts. Poliquin (I Am Wind) takes readers on a meandering journey that connects art, culture, geography, history, nature, and science while discussing orange's many manifestations ("This mineral is called crocoite. Isn't it magnificently orange?"). Readers learn that the word is rooted in a Tamil term referring to the fragrance of orange blossoms, then explore how orange plays a starring role in flags and observances, landmarks and works of art, and uniforms that range from spacesuits to monks' robes. Opaque watercolor, chalk pastel, and digital illustrations by Morstad (A Face Is a Poem) mix impressionistic vignettes with close-ups reminiscent of field notebook sketches, establishing a grounding visual tone that's calmly observant--all the better to let the central color strut its stuff. By the final page, readers, their eyes opened to orange's ubiquity, are likely to eagerly concur with the heart of the book's message: Orange you glad the title color is finally getting its due? Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5--9. Author's agent: Amy Tompkins, Transatlantic Agency. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./Folio Literary. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--In a book that is a tour de force through world history, the natural world, and cultural studies, the color orange becomes the focal point for a quick romp through languages, the arts, foods, memorials, flags, and holidays. The painterly drawings in this illustrated book begin with a quick look at different types of citruses--some common, some less so. It continues with an explanation of how the color came to be and the global trade that had to be in place for people to begin to have a word for the color. A section is dedicated to the science of paint pigments and famous art pieces from Mark Rothko and Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The book refers to the ritual of mourning in cultures around the color orange, such as the Mexican tradition for Día de Muertos and the Canada's September 30th commemoration of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children who were taken from their homes and sent to government schools. VERDICT With some uncommon words and packed with ideas, this compelling and humorous book lends itself as a read-aloud for early grades and is a must for all libraries.--Vi Ha
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Review by Horn Book Review
"We must begin with the orange." Poliquin's "field trip through color" kicks off with the "deliciously round and sweet" citrus fruit associated with the shade of the same name and asks the questions, "Which came first? The color or the fruit?" Thus begins an impressively encyclopedic tour through the history of orange, from its etymological origins to its global journey, from India and southern China westward. These facts range from what children are likely to already know -- that the color can be produced by mixing red and yellow, for instance -- to an array of artistic, scientific, and historical facts. Who knew that the word might first have been used for the color (rather than the fruit) when describing the sleeves of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, in a 1502 portrait? Morstad incorporates dozens of orange hues for her watercolor and chalk-pastel illustrations of everything from fruit to birds to Rothko's famous painting Orange and Yellow, with dazzling spreads depicting overflowing-with-orange locations everywhere from Central Park to Michoacan festivals and Kolkatani flower markets. Poliquin employs a frank, informative voice, with asides that demonstrate her awe of the color ("Isn't it magnificently orange?" she marvels, regarding the mineral crocoite) as well as the limitations of her knowledge ("I don't know why there are three different International Oranges"). As thoroughly researched as the story is, she takes care never to make it didactic or dull: instead, it shines as an enlightening, passionate treatise on the color. Emma ShacochisNovember/December 2025 p.88 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A most unusual portrait of the color orange. Poliquin's epic journey opens, naturally, with an orange. Fast facts and anecdotes follow; though presented seemingly randomly, they coalesce into a rich exploration of the color through the lenses of culture, history, and nature. The rooster fromThe Canterbury Tales, "dreaming of a fox whose 'colour was betwixe yellow and reed,'" precedes a spread about how oranges originated in India and southern China, accompanied by an illustration of the fruits traveling to Europe. Next, the author tracks the evolution of the wordorange from the Tamil wordnaru, which means "fragrant." The tidbits in this quirky "field trip" bounce around, referencing Mark Rothko's paintingOrange and Yellow, the "International Orange" of American astronauts' space suits, the orange T-shirts Canadian youngsters wear annually to remember Indigenous children sent to government schools, Buddhist monks' robes, monarch butterflies, and marigolds in an Indian market. The coda to this tale culminates in a page of color theory, with Morstad providing a painterly palette of variations on the hue. Her artwork, relying on watercolor, chalk pastel, and digital rendering, has a vintage, painterly feel that visually binds this series of postcardlike vignettes. Poliquin's charmingly conversational prose is rife with asides that betray the author's genuine enthusiasm for her subject ("This mineral is called crocoite. Isn't it magnificently orange?"); readers will eagerly heed her advice to "find orange in your world." Witty, smart, and sophisticated.(Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
