Since the other colors always exclude him, Gray decides to make his own book. He starts by introducing a wolf, a kitten, and a hippo who live in a small house by the sea. But when the primary colors barge in, Gray must defend his color from accusations of being "dismal, bleak, and gloomy." Meanwhile, the secondary colors further disrupt Gray's storytelling suming the worst simply due to his color (or perceived lack thereof) d attempt to add themselves to the story. Fellow achromatics Black and White also inject themselves into the illustrations, which provokes Gray to shout that he is a cool color, too, yet is left out all the time. Chastened, the other colors apologize and ask if they can help. In the end, the other colors contribute to the illustration and support Gray, whose characters end up living "grayly ever after." This book is a fun introduction to color theory that may inspire children to use more gray in their artwork and remind them to include friends who are left out.

K-Gr 2 Gray is miffed about the fact that primary and secondary colors get all of the attention. Feeling left out and tired of being typecast as a dull, gloomy, sad sack, he decides to create the "GRAYtest book ever." Gray spins a tale about a hippo, wolf, and kitten who live in a house by the sea, all presented in a completely muted palette. In metafictional fashion, a rainbow of colors barge into his story and offer their editorial opinions. Looking like triangular wedges from a color wheel, all of the hues in Ward's digital illustrations have distinct personalities and signature accessories: peppy, ponytailed Yellow has sunglasses perched on her head; Red wears a pom-pom hat and a sardonic expression; and Blue is a laid-back dude with a backwards ball cap. Dialogue bubbles capture the pun-filled, quick-witted banter that ricochets all across the pages as Gray tries to maintain control ("Just because I'm not a primary or secondary doesn't mean I'm not a color! Achromatics have feelings, too, ya know"), while his bolder pals throw shade ("What muted his hue?"). After an emotional plea for acceptance, the others finally see Gray's true colors, and they come up with a way to let him take center stage. VERDICT A colorful primer on relationships and how to complement one another. Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.