EducatingParents.org rating: Approved

After reading Press Here! by Hervé Tullet, I had to read the sequel, Mix it Up! Mix it Up! uses the same interactive elements of rubbing, smudging, tilting, closing, and opening the book as the original but adds in the more complicated task of mixing the colors. In this way, there is an educational aspect instead of just a fun book.

As you turn the pages and perform the tasks, the colors are mixed, and a new color is introduced. The book goes through all of the primary color combinations and then tests the reader. I really like this non-messy way of learning about mixing colors, and I wanted to get my paints out to play some more. Even as an adult, I loved the interactive element. My sensory-seeking, will-not-sit-still son loved it more.

A word of caution: Read the book on your own first so you can guide the mixing, especially if your child doesn't know their colors yet. The book will only be correct or make sense if the correct colors are mixed. You want to teach the right thing!

This book would be good for teaching colors and color combinations, such as for art or science class. The obvious follow-up is painting a canvas and mixing colors. This could be a good review before that.

Recommended age: 4-6 years

Writing style: The words are actions directed to the reader, like "Are you ready?" and "Yes! You've got the magic touch!" Admittedly, I only read some of them because we wanted to perform the actions too quickly. I also had to add extra words like "Oh, it's purple. Blue mixed with red make purple."

Lexile range (unofficial): 210L - 400L
Decoding difficulty: 2/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 3/5
Sentences difficulty: 2/5
Patterns difficulty: 4/5

Illustration style: It's finger paint, complete with fingerprints and smudges.

Reality-based: It felt like painting and mixing colors, but a mess I needed to clean up after. ( )

I do want to like this book more than I do. It feels rather pedantic and repetitive in terms of mixing colors. But for really beginning audiences learning colors (and what is a primary vs. secondary color) it is a good option to have in the repertoire. ( )

Wil jij op het grijze bolletje duwen? Dan komen op de volgende bladzijde zijn gekleurde vriendjes tevoorschijn. Veeg nu over het blauwe bolletje, aai daarna het gele bolletje en kijk water gebeurt! Interactief prentenboek met eenvoudige illustraties over kleuren mengen.

I adore Press Here, and it will be a tough act for any book to follow. Mix It Up succeeds in many of the same ways- the interactivity is delightful, and I immediately wanted to get out my paints and make a mess. This book is a bit more complicated than the first, and I think that's where it gets into some trouble: it is possible to do the wrong action, and then the next page doesn't make sense. I'm very glad that I previewed it so that I can coach the children a bit in the motions to preserve the magic of the book. That being said, it is still very enjoyable and I think many art teachers will love it. ( )