BLACK AND WHITE
Children's books usually use bright colours, but black and white illustrations can be incredibly effective. They can have a quiet magic of their own.
A black and white picture can have the children guessing at the possible colours which deepens engagement. Also, the strong line work and contrast can express tension and movement as much as colour - sometimes even more. Many early reader books use black and white illustrations because the images don't overwhelm new readers, they just reinforce the text. Another plus is activity books where children can colour the pictures themselves.
Here are three examples of children's books using black and white pictures:
In this book, Cybele Young creates beautiful pen and ink drawings to tell a story about ten birds crossing a river.
Chris Raschka's minimalist picture book uses expressive black and white drawings to convey, movement and storytelling without using colour.
On a practical note - black and white books are often more affordable to print. This means lower costs for publishers and therefore more books for libraries and schools.
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