Swatch: An Invitation To Go Wild With Color

Oh boy have I ever got an amazing book to share with you this week. It is new to our library, and I fell in love with the story and illustrations. I read it to our preschool group and the kids really enjoyed it.

child's hand finger moving paint over the paper

Introducing (Drum Roll Please)

Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color by Julia Denos

Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color

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“In a place where color ran wild there lived a girl who was wilder still. Her name was Swatch, and she was a color tamer.”

This book is

Gorgeous

Imaginative

Full of vibrant colors.

Here’s a cute book trailer that gives you a good feel for the book.

Swatch tames swirling ribbons of color. She cajoles them to dance, do magic, and come when she calls. Swatch loves color and colors love Swatch back.

One day Swatch starts to collect the colors in jam jars and soon she has an entire room of restless colors. All except for Yellowest Yellow, who simply refuses to be tamed. Yellow takes Swatch on a wild ride to remind her that colors are meant to live wild and free.

I really enjoyed the illustrations and so did our preschoolers. Swatch bends and leaps, creeps and dances as colors swirl and burst around her. The way the colors seem to move and pulse on the page is magnificent.

There is a gentle reminder that wild things should not be closed into small places, and that they should remain wild and free (rather like Swatch herself).

As a writer I really enjoyed the text that accompanies the illustrations. The language is rich and uses a wide vocabulary, so it’s perfect for kids learning new words. Here are some of the names Swatch gives the colors, “Rumble-Tumble Pink, Bravest Green, In-Between Gray, Just Laid Blue, and Yellowest Yellow.”

When you are reading

Young children might enjoy locating Swatch in each page while the book is being read to them.
Encourage your child to trace the movement of the colors with one gentle finger.
Then go bigger and have them to trace the same movements with their hands in the air.

Some Questions to Ask As You Go Along

Why do you think Swatch wanted to capture the colors in jars?
Do you think the colors were happy? Why?
Why do you think Yellowest Yellow did not want to go into the jar?
If you could become one of the colors in the story which one, would you be?
Where would you dance?

This post is part of my growing collection of easy arts and crafts for kids. Need more inspiration to keep kids busy? Our Indoor Activities page is packed with fun ideas.

After the story

Invite your child to pretend to be one of the colors and move around the room. Demonstrate how to move in big swirls and twirls. If you have ribbons or scarves handy bring them out to add to movement. Music also helps set a wild mood. You could try

An Invitation to Go Wild With Color

This book simply begs the reader to go wild with color. I dived into our art and craft supplies and pulled out

Good quality painting paper
Brushes
Small paint roller
Paints
Cotton puffs
Pom-poms and clothespins
Popsicle sticks
Painting shirts

The kids pulled on painting shirts and got to work. I was worried that this activity would not be very exciting for them, but I was completely wrong. They had so much fun exploring the paint.

I wish I could share the cries of delight when they watched the colors combine together and experimented with all the materials.

Children really enjoy this kind of activity, and it has so many benefits. Here’s a few pictures of our efforts.

I can’t share the pictures of smiles and intense concentration of our preschoolers, on my blog but you can see them here.

This is a fun and easy activity, but it is messy. Make it easy on yourself by using paint shirts and drop cloths. If the weather is good it would be the perfect activity to take outside. Have wipes or wet cloths on hand to deal with paint covered hands.

Looking For More Wild And Colorful Art?

Fairy Dust Teaching explains how she encouraged children to create a collaborative art project inspired by the wild colors of Frozen.

Fireflies and Mudpies goes wild with color and squirt guns to create colorful paintings.

Growing a Jeweled Rose used paint filled eggs to create a wild colorful painting. We did this at the library last year and the children had a blast.

Check out some fun art projects that will help you get to know your kids better

I hope you enjoy this wild and colorful activity with your kids. This kind of free expression is really good for children and is a lot of fun. Don’t forget to take some pictures!

Stuck inside and need more ideas? Our Indoor Activities page is packed with crafts, games, science experiments and more to keep kids happily busy.