Mix it up!

Tullet of Press Here (2011) fame returns with another inventive, instinctive, and interactive book that kids will wrangle with for some time. (Don't worry, the covers are as thick as plywood.) The lesson is an old, typically unexciting one: how primary colors mix to make secondary colors. The approach, though, will tickle anyone who has played with a touch screen device, as Tullet encourages the reader to tap a small daub of paint to get things started, before giving more sophisticated instructions. Essentially, the book is a virtual easel, and Tullet plays and the spare, conversational text is indeed playful with concepts of gravity by asking children to shake the book really hard or try tilting the book to the right. The colors squish or smoosh together, depending on the action, and the result looks as if transposed directly from Tullet's own easel. As a practical, hands-on lesson in color combining, it is cogent simplicity itself, making it a must-own for any classroom in which beginning art concepts are taught. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Press Here was a bona fide breakout, and by keeping this book's look and feel much the same, it'll be snapped up.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2014 Booklist

The opening of Tullet's new book continues in the vein of Press Here as the narrator instructs readers to call forth swarms of multicolored thumbprints: "Tap it again. Tap, tap, tap." This time, though, Tullet has something to teach readers. Smudges of red, yellow, and blue paint are seen on the left, with another spot of yellow on the right; all are in vivid close-up and look wet to the touch. "With one finger take a little bit of the blue... and just touch the yellow. Rub it... gently." A page turn reveals the spot with the blue rubbed in; it's green now, but imperfectly mixed, so the original yellow and blue are still visible. "See?" the narrator asks encouragingly. After making purple and orange, Tullet invites readers to experiment by shutting the book to combine patches of "wet" paint. "Try it again! Got it? Makes sense, doesn't it?" Franceschelli is a talented translator, and the book's conversational tone is an important part of its charm. It's an effective presentation of basic color mixing, and great fun for paint lovers in places where paints can't be used. Ages 3-5. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 1-Following up his ingenious Press Here (Chronicle, 2011), dynamic and innovative author and illustrator Tullet presents another interactive picture book, this time designed to teach children about color. Tullet shows blobs of paint on white pages and asks readers to touch their fingers to each blob to mix and create new colors. Though the book is clearly aimed at young children, even adult readers will admire this gorgeously made volume-and may find it difficult to resist physically shaking and touching the book as per the author's directions. While simple, the book's design is effective and even intricate in the details: spatters of paint adorn the sides and corners of each white spread, adding an authenticity that readers will love. The text is spare yet inviting ("Now try tilting the book to the right. What do you think will happen? Right again!"). Tullet has in the past proven himself a master at playing with the author/reader relationship, through books such as The Eyes Game (Phaidon) and Help! We Need a Title (both 2014, Candlewick), and this imaginative new work is no exception. Rivaling an iPad for its sheer fun and interactive elements, this engaging and inventive title will easily find fans.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"It's that time again. / Are you ready? / Tap that gray spot. Just a little, to see what happens." Tullet follows the same format as Press Here (rev. 7/11), but this time the play is focused on colors and what happens when you mix them. We aren't given any vocabulary about primary and secondary colors; white and black; tints and shades. Instead, we learn by example -- and without mess -- by "mixing" with a finger or shaking or tilting the book to make the colors "run." While Press Here worked almost like a magic act, with the page turn supplying a dramatic delay before the surprising reveal, Mix It Up! is about fact-based predictions: "If you rub the two colors together really hardthen what happens?" (Here, the answer is: red mixed with blue makes purple.) Close observation of the illustrations reveals that Tullet took some liberties with his colors (his "primary" red actually has too much yellow in it to make a clean purple, for example). But children are unlikely to mind, because everything else about this book -- blobby impasto paint, "accidental" finger prints around the edges -- invites them to find some paints and try mixing in real life. lolly robinson (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Who's ready to dip their fingers in the paint? The primary-colored dots from Press Here (2011) are back, but while last time they focused predominantly on motion, this time they plunge headlong into color mixing. It starts with a gray dot in the middle of a glossy white page, which the reader turns into a host of colored dots by following direct, friendly instructions. After some play, three large splotches appear: red, blue, yellow. "With one finger take a little bit of the blue / and just touch the yellow. Rub it gently." The result isn't overexplainedthe narrator simply says, "See?"and, best of all, that new green blob looks exactly the way a real-life, finger-mixed result of that particular blue and yellow would look. Unmixed yellow and blue even peek out from under its edges. While the participatory nature may recall an app, nothing feels digital here; in fact, Tullet's paintings show paint texture so lusciously it's hard to remember that these are dry illustrations. Shaking the book, tilting the book sideways and closing the book "so the colors squish together" yield more color-mixing results, all temptingly textured like real paint. Fingerprints and spatters enhance the casual, welcoming vibe. As with Press Here, one-on-one reading will best serve the invited participation.Have the real paints handy. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Tullet of Press Here (2011) fame returns with another inventive, instinctive, and interactive book that kids will wrangle with for some time. (Don't worry, the covers are as thick as plywood.) The lesson is an old, typically unexciting one: how primary colors mix to make secondary colors. The approach, though, will tickle anyone who has played with a touch screen device, as Tullet encourages the reader to tap a small daub of paint to get things started, before giving more sophisticated instructions. Essentially, the book is a virtual easel, and Tullet plays—and the spare, conversational text is indeed playful—with concepts of gravity by asking children to "shake the book really hard" or "try tilting the book to the right." The colors "squish" or "smoosh" together, depending on the action, and the result looks as if transposed directly from Tullet's own easel. As a practical, hands-on lesson in color combining, it is cogent simplicity itself, making it a must-own for any classroom in which beginning art concepts are taught. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Press Here was a bona fide breakout, and by keeping this book's look and feel much the same, it'll be snapped up. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

The opening of Tullet's new book continues in the vein of Press Here as the narrator instructs readers to call forth swarms of multicolored thumbprints: "Tap it again. Tap, tap, tap." This time, though, Tullet has something to teach readers. Smudges of red, yellow, and blue paint are seen on the left, with another spot of yellow on the right; all are in vivid close-up and look wet to the touch. "With one finger take a little bit of the blue... and just touch the yellow. Rub it... gently." A page turn reveals the spot with the blue rubbed in; it's green now, but imperfectly mixed, so the original yellow and blue are still visible. "See?" the narrator asks encouragingly. After making purple and orange, Tullet invites readers to experiment by shutting the book to combine patches of "wet" paint. "Try it again! Got it? Makes sense, doesn't it?" Franceschelli is a talented translator, and the book's conversational tone is an important part of its charm. It's an effective presentation of basic color mixing, and great fun for paint lovers in places where paints can't be used. Ages 3–5. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 1—Following up his ingenious Press Here (Chronicle, 2011), dynamic and innovative author and illustrator Tullet presents another interactive picture book, this time designed to teach children about color. Tullet shows blobs of paint on white pages and asks readers to touch their fingers to each blob to mix and create new colors. Though the book is clearly aimed at young children, even adult readers will admire this gorgeously made volume—and may find it difficult to resist physically shaking and touching the book as per the author's directions. While simple, the book's design is effective and even intricate in the details: spatters of paint adorn the sides and corners of each white spread, adding an authenticity that readers will love. The text is spare yet inviting ("Now try tilting the book to the right. What do you think will happen? Right again!"). Tullet has in the past proven himself a master at playing with the author/reader relationship, through books such as The Eyes Game (Phaidon) and Help! We Need a Title (both 2014, Candlewick), and this imaginative new work is no exception. Rivaling an iPad for its sheer fun and interactive elements, this engaging and inventive title will easily find fans.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal