With a bold call to action—“Go! Go! BoBo”—a busy toddler creates with abandon, clutching his paintbrush with dramatic fervor.
His soft shape has an uncanny resemblance to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, limbs morphing into blobs; the only constants are his single curl, prominently placed Band-Aid and tiny x eyes. Thematic unity is achieved through a repetitive format that proceeds hue by hue; vivid paint splatters against the plain background on the left-hand page, while a gray bouncing line chronicles his energetic journey on the facing page. He creates detailed images with a glossy sheen, from red fire trucks and roses to a golden bunch of bananas, ripe for the picking. BoBo seamlessly shifts positions through the color scheme; facial expressions correlate with each shade. (BoBo lands feet first in the blue paint can, and a barely noticeable “oh” formed on his lips seals the deal.) The text consists of nothing but color labels until BoBo returns to his room, a rainbow above his bed, and concludes, “Go! Go! Colors!” The companion Shapes succeeds with similar stocky flair.
This near-wordless romp encourages tots to pick up some paints of their own. (Board book. 1-3)