Two storybook favorites are back in “Duck and Goose — Colors,” by Tad Hills, a board book in bright hues starring a whimsical pair of fowl friends. It’s the newest book chosen as a Baby Buzz Pick by parent educators with the Washington School District.Each month the group, in partnership with The Missourian, selects a quality, hardcover book for children birth to age 5. A review of the Baby Buzz Pick appears in the second weekend issue of The Missourian. The group then purchases additional copies of the book to use in their visits with children, their parents and caretakers.The following review was written by Pat Frank, coordinator, Parents as Teachers.“Children always enjoy going on a journey with Duck and Goose. In their newest adventure they are identifying colors. ‘Duck and Goose — Colors’ is a simple book, but it offers much in the way of exploring nature and colors.“Identifying colors is a goal that parents can help their child achieve at the optimal developmental age. Many parents feel when their child has so many words, and can say the color name they are ready to label an object or picture. Not so fast! Your child’s brain may not be able to identify that object’s color name quite yet.“There are steps you can take to help your child accomplish color identification. According to the Parents as Teachers Foundational Curriculum, ‘around age 2, your child is already learning colors even though they aren’t saying the names yet. There are three steps. Each step may take weeks or even months and your child needs lots of practice.’“The first step is matching colors. Offer many basic colored objects, and/or pictures, to let your child explore. Identify these colors as you play with them but give your child the experience of just playing with them too. You may notice after a short time that your child may start sorting the objects by color, especially if given containers to sort them into.“The second step is pointing to colors. Ask your child to hand you the ‘red one.’ This is a perfect time to use books, like ‘Duck and Goose — Colors!’ asking your child to find the ‘green worm,’ for example.“The final step in learning colors is to say the color name. When your child can answer the question ‘What color is this?’ your child has accomplished this step.“ ‘Duck and Goose — Colors!’ helps reinforce color recognition at an early age with its brightly colored pictures. It’s a sturdy board book, sure to withstand a baby or toddler’s exploration.”Another parent educator favorite this month is “Just a Duck,” by Carin Bramsen, which will be published on Jan. 27."Duck and Goose, Colors"