Books Make Life Colorful!
By Kristina Acosta, MLIS, Youth Librarian, Herman & Kate Kaiser Library
The 2025 Summer Reading Program theme is "Color Our World" and what colors our world more than books with their beloved stories, characters, pictures, and more?
Reading is not just fun, it’s good for you, too! It can improve your sleep quality, reduce stress, increase your ability to understand emotions, and decrease loneliness[i]. Books are also great conversation starters for little ones and even increase empathy. When reading, your brain believes you are actually living the experience, so books do expand our worlds and color it[ii].
Check out just a few books that will add some color into your young one’s (and yours) world.
Red by Michael Hall, “Red's factory-applied label clearly says that he is red, but despite the best efforts of his teacher, fellow crayons and art supplies, and family members, he cannot seem to do anything right until a new friend offers a fresh perspective.”
I Spy Orange in the City by Amy Culliford, "Read along as a spy sneaks through the city to uncover all things orange! The spy needs your help on his mission to find orange things, such as balls and cones"
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long, “A forgotten school bus finds joy and purpose in the most unexpected places.”
Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet by Nicola Davies, “Take a lively look at the biology of plants on Earth and their vast importance to our planet, with this wide-ranging exploration from an award-winning team.”
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad, “Faizah relates how she feels on the first day her sister, sixth-grader Asiya, wears a hijab to school.”
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crokett Johnson, “Harold goes for an adventurous walk in the moonlight with his purple crayon.”
See the complete list of over 50 titles that “color our world” here.
To learn more about TCCL’s 2025 Summer Reading Program, visit this website or any Tulsa City-County Library location. Remember, all ages can participate from birth to adulthood.
[i] https://www.cae.edu.au/news/7-proven-reasons-why-reading-is-good-for-you/
[ii] https://www.oedb.org/ilibrarian/your-brain-on-books-10-things-that-happen-to-our-minds-when-we-read/