On Our Book Shelf: The Land Without Color

The Land Without Color is a sort of modern-day fairy tale complete with all the elements of that genre: an evil ogre in the form of a two-headed dragon, a Goblin King with headless followers, the intimidating Crimson Guards, hissing vipers, and a Color Factory, the real enemy, which drains color from the locale.  As a result the land and its inhabitants are a drab shade of gray. 

Enter our protagonist Alvin who heroically embarks on a mission to rescue the kidnapped Princesses Gwedolyn and Sapphire, defeat the evil goblins who are ressponsible for the barren, desolate landscape, stop the damage of the Color Factory, and restore vibrancy to the village.  In this attempt he will be accompanied by Permy, a tiny squirrel, and together they will climb Shadow Mountain where both will become entangled in man-eating vines; evade the Red Guards who, although equipped with the finest armor and swords, have no brains; and avoid the King's offerings of free ice cream, doughnuts, and candy since such goodies cause lethargy.  "Eating junk food fills your body with garbage, slows you down, and steals your life force," declares Alvin.  As a result he consumes large amounts of string beans, broccoli, beets, asparagus, onions, and cauliflower which replenish the lost color and zest; "he was a vibrant plethora of bursting yellows, reds, and blues ...  as the energy of the vegetables raced through his veins." At one point Alvin is swallowed by the dragon, but is able to escape with his trusty knife which his grandfather gave him as a gift at the beginning of the story, reminding him to keep this handy weapon with him at all times.

One educational benefit of this tale is an abundance of vocabulary words that the average child should be able to comprehend through the use of context clues:  bellowed, abyss, bounty, exhilirated, obstacle, imminent, ornate, insatiable, resonate, acknowledge, wry -- to name just a few. Moreover, kids enjoy adventure, battles, alien creatures, princesses, chase scenes, imaginative places -- all attributes present in The Land Without Color.  While the author employs occasional common expressions -- "approached each other like oncoming trains ... spread out like a flock of birds ... lit up with excitement" ... the book is worthwhile in its creative development of an imaginative plot, as well as its confirmation of healthy and beneficial advice: "Eat your vegetables. Eat your vegetables" becomes the mantra of Alvin and his followers.