These Colours Are Bananas

Tamara Shopsin is a graphic designer, author, and illustrator. She is also a cook at her family restaurant, Shopsin's, in New York.

Jason Fulford is a photographer, designer, and cofounder of the nonprofit J&L Books. He lives in New York with his wife Tamara Shopsin.

What colour is an apple? A dog? Grass? Young readers will be amazed by the range of possibilities

What colour is a banana? It can be at least 25 different shades, according to this artful swatchbook of versatile subjects. An inversion of the way we typically look at colour, this book challenges readers' predispositions towards using a particular crayon for a particular object. 11 items are each presented alongside a grid of color ranges: the "apple" page features yellows, greens, and reds; the "egg" page a range of greens to grays; even "grass" is surprising, with suggestions of pink. The read-along text is playful and philosophical, poetic and factual... all towards expanding readers' assumptions. Inspired by the Whitney Museum's approach to looking at art, these books provide a new way to look at the world.