The Color Monster
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the The Why-Askers stage.
Why it fits The Why-Askers (for preschoolers whose every page sparks a question)
A monster sorts his tangled feelings into jars by color. It hands children a working vocabulary and a filing system for emotions. The pop-up edition is worth the upgrade.
What makes it special
Llenas made the abstract physical: feelings as tangled colors, sorted one jar at a time. Her scribbly, textured monster looks like a child's own drawing come to life, which is precisely why children trust him. Emotional sorting is the skill modern childhood most demands; here it's a craft project with a friend.
About Anna Llenas
Anna Llenas is a Barcelona illustrator and art therapist whose The Color Monster — born from her therapy practice — became a global phenomenon translated into dozens of languages, plus a pop-up edition, a sequel, and classroom curricula.
Llenas left a career in advertising design to retrain in art therapy; the monster was her way of giving young clients a creature who was as confused by feelings as they were.
Also by this author: The Color Monster Goes to School · I Love You (Nearly Always)
More from “Big Feelings, First Friendships”
This book is part of The Best Books for Preschoolers: 30 Teacher Picks (The Why-Askers) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.