BLUE GOOSE

Leave it to a gaggle of brightly hued barnyard fowl—including, in addition to the eponymous goose, Yellow Chick, Red Hen and White Duck—to paint their drab environment while the farmer (named Gray, of course) is away. Each paints various items in its own color but then . . . poultry pairs mix primary colors to yield blends! Wouldn’t you know it? Everything looks better and brighter. At bedtime, Blue Goose paints all in an evening shade of blue, except for the moon, which remains silvery white. Readers will get a painless lesson in color mixing, and a helpful chart on the back cover reinforces these concepts. As always, Tafuri’s illustrations are lush and vibrant, but the text is bland. A nice enough title to guide young children’s understanding of color blending, but not a standout. (Picture book. 2-5)