“.an enticing project in color exploration and language.” ― BCCB “Seeger's skill at creating simple yet wonderfully effective concept books, as well as her mastery of die-cuts that delight in unexpected and ingenious ways, are in full evidence in this salute to the color green.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred

Each spread describes a particular shade of green - forest green, sea green, lime green, pea green, jungle green - and the list actually does go on and on.” ― New York Times “.the reader who settles down and slowly pages through its gorgeous acrylic paintings or, better yet, reads it aloud to a young child, will find rich rewards. In this case, the images on each page refer both backward and forward, permitting a fascinating interplay of shade and hue, from the 'khaki green' of a lizard to the 'never green' of a stop sign.” ― The Wall Street Journal A story full of heart, this works on many levels, assuring satisfying discoveries with repeated viewings.“Subtle cutouts on each richly painted page of Laura Vaccaro Seeger's 'Green' similarly create a mystical sense of complexity and continuity. As in Green, strategically placed die-cuts help to connect the spreads, previewing important features of the next illustration.

The acrylic-on-canvas paintings exhibit a range of styles: from playful (“silly blue”) to contemplative (“midnight blue”) to gently combative (“my blue,” in which boy and mutt each tug at the baby blanket). Eventually, of course, “old blue / true blue” passes away, leaving the teen “so blue,” until he meets a girl with her own pup, “new blue.” While story takes a prominent role in this concept book, Seeger has not neglected the artistic details that distinguished her work. A child’s painting of a boy and dog, marred by paw prints, is captioned “maybe blue.” In later spreads, both youngster and pooch mature, sparking adventures that involve running into the waves (“ocean blue”), camping out (“quiet blue”), and a snowy walk (“chilly blue”). A page turn reveals a slightly older preschooler and his dog collecting “berry blue” fruit.

“Baby blue” depicts a sleeping toddler and puppy sharing a blue blanket. In this companion to her Caldecott Honor Book Green (2012), Seeger reflects on the many shades and emotions suggested by this pigment.

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger