THE COLORS OF NATURE

A celebration of select colors in the visible spectrum, plus black and white.

While Barr writes that “our world spins in color,” she sidesteps the issue of just how many colors we can see (current estimates range up to 10 million). The author presents examples of flora, fauna, rocks, and more that flash hues or blends of various colors, including pink, gray, and brown, plus all colors (“wonderful white”) and none (“deep black”). She rhapsodizes about the “brilliant blue” of the sky, lapis lazuli, and peacock tarantulas and explains how the color results from the selective reflection and absorption of spectra. She also invites readers to join her in marveling that white “is bursting with secret colors,” that the blood of certain skinks is actually green (and that of icefish totally colorless), and that rainbows are round when viewed from the right vantage point. She extends her topic in multiple directions, with glances at iridescence, bioluminescence, and the effects of climate change on wildfires and other ominous events, from earlier-blooming cherry trees in Japan to the impending extinction of freshwater dolphins. In her appropriately color-forward illustrations, Prabhat uses a vivid palette to reflect the author’s elevated tone.

Limited in some ways, but shines with both facts and feeling.