Published by Little Door Books, 2024.

My son and I have really enjoyed reading Kevin the Orange together. I asked Sam to contribute to my review and he said, “My favourite bit was when Kevin realised it’s best just to be yourself.” And this is the book’s key message: self-acceptance.

Kevin is the orangiest of oranges but he’s fed up and fancies a change. He’d rather be blue. He talks to his wise book-reading friend, Brian the Pear. Brian recommends a trip to the Arctic and, soon enough, Kevin’s teeth are chattering and his pips are rattling; he’s turned blue with the cold. However, Kevin realises that being blue isn’t really his colour either and so he tries a series of colour changes as he searches for his ideal colour.

I loved all the ingenious ways that Kevin changed colour: a particularly hot chilli turns him red; a high-energy disco class makes him pink; and a dip with the jolly grapes in their swimming pool turns him purple. Yet each of the colour changes isn’t quite as much fun as Kevin was expecting and he realises that he misses being orange. He reverts to his original colour and comes to understand that being the best version of yourself is the greatest thing of all.

The book is full of humour. Each colour change has funny consequences. My particular favourite – which will pass over the heads of younger readers – is how, after accidentally swallowing some of the “grape juice” in the swimming pool, everything starts spinning and Kevin ends up feeling a bit wobbly and dizzy!

The book’s illustrations are wonderfully vibrant – the bold colours pop from the page and Kevin himself is a delight. There’s lots to look at and enjoy in the background too – the grapes at the pool party and the funky chickens in the disco class were our favourites.

Kevin the Orange learns to love being himself and we loved him too.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 3+

Thank you to Little Door Books for sending me this book to review. I reviewed this book as part of the Kevin the Orange blog tour. Check out all the other posts on the tour for more exclusive content.