Farmer Gray drives away in his gray pick-up truck, leaving his colorless farm in the hands of a blue goose, white duck, red hen, and yellow chick. While he’s away, each of the four paints every bit of the barnyard in its own color: The duck paints the fence white, the chick paints the flowers yellow, the hen paints the barn red, and the goose paints the barn roof blue. Soon the animals begin mixing colors. The hen and the goose paint the barn doors purple, the hen and the chick paint the shutters orange, the goose and the chick paint the grass green, and the duck and the goose paint the skylight blue. They finish just in time to lift the chick up high to paint the sun yellow before Farmer Gray returns home to a full-color barnyard. And when night falls, the blue goose returns to paint everything blue, except for the moon. With bold lines, flat colors, and a simple storyline, Tafuri introduces young children to the concept of mixing primary colors to make secondary colors. (Ages 2–4)

When Farmer Gray takes a trip, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick and White Duck decide to paint their black-and-white farm. Red Hen paints the barn red and White Duck paints the fence white. Then Blue Goose and Yellow Chick pour their paint together to make green for the grass and trees. By the time Farmer Gray comes back, the whole farm is full of color--what a wonderful surprise! Incorporating primary and secondary colors, as well as animals, this is a simple and engaging way for young children to learn basic concepts.