Official Review: What's Your Favorite Color?

CataclysmicKnight · Post by **CataclysmicKnight** » 06 Apr 2019, 22:52

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "What's Your Favorite Color?" by Amber L Lassiter.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Remember when school was fun and not just an exercise in memorization and recital? Me either! But books like What's Your Favorite Color? by Amber L. Lassiter certainly go a long way to bring me back to those glorious childhood days.

What's Your Favorite Color? is a children's book about a girl named Amber (just like the author!), set on a special day at school. Their teacher, Mrs. Lassiter (also like the author) has set up a day of mystery and artistic expression: each student is tasked with wearing their favorite color and then given the assignment in class to paint something that includes their favorite color. To make things more interesting, the students are challenged with not letting anyone else know what their favorite color is! That's quite the conundrum!

Unfortunately, Amber left her watercolors at home, and she didn't want to use any of the paint colors in the supply closet, so she's forced to borrow some from others. Each time she borrows a color, the student assumes it must be her favorite, making disguising her favorite color even more of a challenge. Can Amber come up with a way to surprise everyone, even you and your children?

Two thoughts ran through my head when I picked What's Your Favorite Color? to review. First I laughed to myself, imagining the hilarious scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which the knights were given a quiz upon trying to cross a bridge. For those not familiar, these questions were absolutely silly. One knight is asked "what's your favorite color" and replies "blue... no, wait AAAAHHHHHH!" and is flung off the bridge before he can correct himself. The second thought was "wow, this art is terrific!" That same "wow" was maintained throughout the rest of the book as well; Amber (the author) did a fantastic job of capturing each favorite color, as well as coming up with all kinds of neat children's art. She even changed the background colors based on the various favorite colors! The book is only available in physical form, and I reviewed the book digitally in a PDF file, so I can't speak to how easy the images are to see from a distance or on the page. I can definitely say that they're stellar on my laptop!

The writing was excellent as well, although the author used much bigger words than I would've expected. On the first page alone are the words "glistening", "puckered", and "mimicking", and when I copied the text into wordcounter.net, it said that the reading level was 9th-10th grade. As such, this book will definitely need an adult to help with reading it, which is fitting since she wrote: "The book is good for parents, educators, schools, librarians and students in grades 1-3."

Periodically, Amber asks various questions that relate to what's happening. For example, at the beginning is a list of children and their paintings in order, then the author asks "What can you tell about the order and pattern Mrs. Lassiter used to hang the students' portraits?" These questions not only allow for additional bonding while reading, but they also encourage critical thinking and ensure that everyone is focused on the book.

The only thing I found negative at all about the book feels far more like nit-picking than actual criticism. On the first page of the story, the text on the page says "she noticed the banner on the wall: 'Meet Our Picassos!'", but the banner on the wall actually says "Meet Our Picasso's". This single apostrophe is literally the only thing that wasn't exceptional about the book, and as such I'm rating What's Your Favorite Color 4 out of 4 stars. It's an easy recommendation for anyone who has a kid and wants to have an educational experience together. The terrific art doesn't hurt, either.

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What's Your Favorite Color?
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 15 Apr 2019, 08:35

This sounds like a cute idea for a children's story. I can picture kids trying to guess what Amber's favorite color is. It would make the book quite interactive. Thanks for another lovely review.

Dentarthurdent · Post by **Dentarthurdent** » 15 Apr 2019, 08:46

I like how lively the review is! The book itself seems creatively done; a jovial review for a jovial book.

8amaseter · Post by **8amaseter** » 15 Apr 2019, 09:21

Good review, if not for some heavy words, I would recommend it to children of lower grades as well. The title of the book alone will ignite the interest of many chidren.

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 15 Apr 2019, 09:54

This sounds like a fun book for kids! My first thought was that her favorite color could be brown because if you mix all of the colors up that's what you get!
I wonder if I am correct?
Great review!

chiefsimplex · Post by **chiefsimplex** » 15 Apr 2019, 15:38

I am really curious to know how Amber got around this tricky predicament of hers. This sounds like an engaging read for kids, I hope they will find it just as hilarious. Thanks for such a detailed review.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 15 Apr 2019, 20:32

Your opening line was hilarious! The author helps readers develop logic and reasoning skills. As you can see, we are all trying to determine how Amber resolved her dilemma. Hats off to a great review!

Beebee99 · Post by **Beebee99** » 16 Apr 2019, 09:27

"What's Your Favorite Color?" by Amber L Lassiter.]

When I was reading the review it bought back memories of my childhood in a classroom well the set does. I would recommend this book to any mother that will like to have some memorable times with their kids using a book that they can easily read. The book seem hilarious and describable.

Rocki · Post by **Rocki** » 07 May 2019, 06:14

What's Your Favorite Color? By. Amber L Lassiter apears to be a great book to read with my girls. I like the mystery of finding out her classmates favorite color. I love the word choice also I work have to open my girls vocabulary . Definitely want to read.

Rachel Lea · Post by **Rachel Lea** » 29 Aug 2019, 08:49

This sounds like such a cute and well-written book! Thanks for your review!

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 Aug 2019, 08:50

A children's book about the special day of a girl named Amber sounds sweet. I like that the reader has to guess Amber's favorite color. Good writing, great art, and good messages make a great read. That it was well edited is another bonus. I am not the target audience, but I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the review!

Amy+++ · Post by **Amy+++** » 29 Aug 2019, 08:57

Sounds like a very engaging book for children as they read, then can try to guess Amber's color.

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda · 29 Aug 2019, 08:59

Your opening line made me laugh so much!

I'm glad to see that this book doesn't dumb down vocabulary and concepts, which I find often occurs in children's books. Even if the kids need a little help, challenging them helps them learn.
Thank you for such a candid review!

Brendan Donaghy · Post by **Brendan Donaghy** » 29 Aug 2019, 09:00

This sounds like a delightfully creative book for children. The use of a few longer-than- expected words is a bit of a puzzle, but perhaps, as you say, the author was expecting this book to be read by kids but with some adult input too. Great review!