Leo Lionni made some of the most beautiful picture books of the twentieth century out of torn paper, soft color and small brave mice. This board book borrows that world to do one first job wonderfully: teach colors to the youngest readers, one saturated, art-school-worthy page at a time.

Part of the Leo Lionni's Friends series from Random House, it is built as a baby's first art book as much as a concept book. The collage-style artwork gives each color real texture and character instead of the flat swatches most color books settle for, and the mice keep every page friendly.

Twenty-eight sturdy pages in a square format sized for a high-chair tray. A lovely baby shower gift, especially for households that already shelve Frederick and Little Blue and Little Yellow, and a painless way to sneak fine art into the nursery.