Who Eats Orange?

May 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-A vividly colored yet simple lesson on what animals do and do not eat. White's narrative has a few interactive elements to it, as readers try to figure out which creature eats which colored food. With text on pages varying from one word to three short lines, this book is targeted toward children learning their basic colors, as more mature readers may be able to come up with numerous examples on their own. However, the rich back matter provides detailed information on different animals (sorted by environments) and the foods eaten there, making learning opportunities available for older kids as well. The illustrations are stark against a white background, highlighting only a single creature eating on each page. The story transitions from animals to humans at the end of the book, showing a spread of the rainbow of produce enjoyed by people. VERDICT Recommended purchase for libraries serving young children. This would be a welcome addition to lessons on colors, nutrition, and the animal kingdom and it also provides a launchpad for additional discussion and research.-Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2018
White and Page introduce a variety of animals in this playful informational picture book.Each color is allotted two double-page spreads, citing four animals that eat a particular color of food before naming a fifth that does not: "Who eats orange?" Rabbits and chickens do. "Who else eats orange? / Goats. // Pigs. / Gorillas too. Gorillas? No! Gorillas don't eat orange. They eat...." That fifth animal acts as a transition to the next color and set of animals: "[Gorillas eat] Green. Who else eats green? / Giraffes in savannas do." Observant readers will note that most animals in a color grouping are from a particular habitat, and the fifth animal is always the exception. Page's digitally rendered illustrations are realistic and inviting, with each animal featured against a stark white background, staring out at readers. White's text doesn't name the foods, only the animals and colors, leaving space for readers or listeners to independently interpret the illustrations. The repetition in White's text encourages pattern recognition and sets readers up for engaging surprises. Organized by color/habitat, a double-page spread of backmatter gives further details on both the animals and foods highlighted. Habitats include ocean, forest, rainforest, tundra, farm, and, unfortunately, the broad continent of Africa. The inclusion of Africa rather than another habitat or biome perpetuates the common idea that the African continent is monolithic, with interchangeable countries and, in this case, a consistent habitat. In another notable misstep, among the red foods eaten by ocean creatures is a bright-red lobster--a color displayed only after they are cooked.An engaging if disappointingly imperfect introduction to animals and (some of) the foods they eat. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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May 15, 2018
Preschool-G Eye-catching art and lively question-and-answer format combine to introduce different animals and the colorful foods they eat. The opening pages ask, Who eats orange? which is followed by a bunny and chicken, each eating orange-colored food. The following page features goats and pigs, and the narrator suggests gorillas, too: Gorillas? No! Gorillas eat green food, as the page turn reveals, and subsequent spreads similarly move through red, yellow, and purple, with a broad array of accompanying animals. All this progresses to blue, which is capped by a human hand reaching for some blueberries and a two-page spread featuring a bright rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables. The spare, anticipatory text will have lots of appeal for kids, especially in concert with the bold, brightly colored collage-like digital illustrations. Some elements may need extra explanation, such as savanna or canopy, and the foods aren't named or always recognizable (for instance, a school of krill), though they're all identified in an appendix, which includes related factoids and information about nutrition. An entertaining introduction to animal diets.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)