Splish, Splash, Foxes Dash!

Yet another bright and dynamic concept book from Geraldo Valério that celebrates Canadian animals, this time illustrating the concept of colours! Large iconic Canadian animals, like the blue whale, black bear, and white mountain goat, are illustrated alongside smaller, lesser-known Canadian creatures, like the green luna moth caterpillar, pink northern prawns, and purple sea star. A vibrant rainbow of colours, including red, brown, orange, white, yellow, green, blue, black, pink, purple and grey, fills the pages of this beautiful picture book and takes the readers on a journey into the Canadian wilderness.

Valério’s use of alliteration, such as “black bears breakfast in a bed of berries”, makes for whimsical storytelling. The format of the book is clear and consistent with each colour being showcased on its own dedicated folio where the colour is spelled out at the top right hand corner. An active animal illustration makes the colour come to life on the page, with, for example, ducks dabbling below the water’s surface or bees buzzing around yellow sunflowers or seals snuggling on top of a rock.

Readers will also delight in the informational spread at the end of the book, a feature that is seen throughout Valerio’s concept books. On these pages, all the animals featured in the book are described in greater detail and provide the reader with interesting facts to think about. For example, did you know that a purple sea star has five arms but that other kinds of sea stars can have ten, twenty or even as many as forty arms? This extra information makes this concept book interesting for older children who may already have a good grasp of colours.

The abstract, almost origami-like illustrations are what make this Brazilian author (who got his Masters of Arts at New York University) a true talent in the field of children’s picture books. His other English works, including, Jump, Leap, Count Sheep: A Canadian Wilfelife 123 (http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol24/no22/jumpleapcountsheep.html) and Moose, Goose, Animals on the Loose: A Canadian Wildlife ABC (https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol23/no8/moosegooseanimalsontheloose.html) and My Book of Birds (https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol23/no27/mybookofbirds.html) also showcase this original talent. Valerio publishes books in English, French and Portuguese Brazilian. Valerio’s illustrative style, which he creates in his Toronto studio using magazines, wrapping paper, glue and scissors, also lends itself well to a number of follow-up craft activities for educators and parents alike. The beautiful illustrations make Splish, Splash, Foxes Dash! a great addition for any family home or classroom.