Opening in a primitive world in which everything is the color of dirt, clay and stone, this picture-book retelling of a Belgian folktale explains how color came to be in the world, and how the Gouldian Finch became one of the world's most colorful birds. After a deluge, Rainbow appears for the first time, bestowing her colors on the animals in the world beneath her. All the birds line up for their share, but when the little finch, last of all, finally gets his turn, there are no more colors. What's do be done? All his avian fellows sympathize, and Rainbow gives a little bit of each of their colors to him...

According to the brief afterword, first-time author Annemarie Riley Guertin used a story she found in Olive Beaupré Miller's 1921 collection, The Latchkey of My Bookhouse, as a source for How the Finch Got His Colors. Given that this is described as a Belgian folktale, one wonders whether the original was about the Gouldian Finch specifically, since this species is native to Northern Australia and New Guinea, or whether it concerned the European goldfinch. I'll have to track down the original and see. Leaving that (possible) adaptation aside, I enjoyed this retelling immensely, appreciating both the engaging text and the gorgeous artwork by Spanish illustrator Helena Pérez García. Appropriately enough, given the subject matter, the visuals here were stunning in their use of color. Recommended to all young folklore and fairy-tale lovers, and to anyone looking for pourquoi stories. ( )