Purple, Green and Yellow

by Robert Munsch, Hélène Desputeaux (Illustrator)

Brigid really loves markers. But when she draws on herself with super-permanent ink, she knows that spells trouble.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Canada, Fiction, Art, Humor, Storytime

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

About the author

Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Fordham University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and from Boston University in 1971 with a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.

He studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, he received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. In 1975 he moved to Canada to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. He also taught in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.

Munsch's wife delivered two stillborn babies in 1979 and 1980. Out of the tragedy, he produced one of his best-known books, Love You Forever. This book was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Best selling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The Munsches have since become adoptive parents of Julie, Andrew and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!)

Munsch has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has also suffered from manic depression. In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his ability to speak in normal sentences. He has recovered enough that he is able to perform live, but has put his writing career on hold until he is fully recovered.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all-time favourite children's book since I was a kid.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My granddaughter loved this! Had fun reading together.

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Bridget who needed to have the newest and best coloring markers. She had markers that were washable. She had markers that smelled better than anything you could imagine. Then she got the super-indelible-never-comes-off-till-you're-dead markers. Although she never drew on the walls or floor, she started to draw on herself. In a panic, Bridget used a special marker that was the same color as her skin. Unfortunately, that color came off when she washed her hands and face, showing her rainbow colored self underneath. Her mother rushed her to the doctor, and the doctor gave her a pill and instructions to remove the colors. As I read this book as a kid, I thought Bridget had the coolest markers. As an adult, I now see the scary aspect to giving kids the idea that it's ok to draw on yourself with permanent markers. I think this book is appropriate for children in grades K-1, but I also feel that some people might object to having this book read in school. Although students can learn about the different colors and the importance of listening to their parents or guardians, they're also exposed to the fact that greediness and disobeying rules is ok because there's always a solution.

[Celestria · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fellow aspiring artist, I really connected with Brigid as a kid and really loved this book. However, I'm not the biggest fan of the art style, so I'm only giving it 4 stars.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot all about this one but wow did I used to read it over and over as a kid.

[Jordyn Suchan · Rating 5 out of 5]

that’s my one

[Lorellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story that veers out of the consequences of not listening to Mom into confusing fantasy. The art doesn't even really make sense.

[Shannon Healy]

A certified classic

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
Read this to clients at work

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series of Munsch books just feels forced.

[Richelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the most unique Munsch stories there is! I found that these illustrations were very different from
the Munsch norm! and that would be because - fun fact: these pictures were done by a different artist: Hélène Desputeaux! I loved them!!
I love the artsy side to this story (although I may be a bit biased.. I love everything art!) the idea behind Brigid using the super duper never come off til your dead and maybe ever longer markers to colour herself..then trying to wash them off.. they don't come
off so this brilliant little girl uses the skin coloured marker to cover it!
then when mom finds out and the doc gives her a big orange pill, she bathes and becomes invisible! so she then had to use the markers to be seen again! such a creative idea! wow! blown away by how amazing this one is!
the ending is hilarious ! one of my favourites! definitely top 3!

[Donna Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I like this so much because well, it's me as a child, but also because my son loved it so much and we read it together about a million times plus one. I try not to let Mr. Munsch drug addictions affect my pleasure in his books although it does kind of explain a lot.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brigid wants to have colored markers like her friends have, but Mom is uncertain . . . she doesn’t want marker drawings on the walls or the floor or on Brigid. Finally, with a promise that the marker color will wash off everything, Mom says okay and buys five hundred [!!!] markers for her daughter.

For a week, Brigid makes wonderful pictures and is content; then she asks for markers that smell. Mom sees her drawings and says, “Wow! My kid is an artist,” and buys her daughter five hundred scented markers. And, for another week, Brigid makes wonderful pictures and is content.

Reminding her mother that she didn’t draw on the walls, or the floor, or herself, Brigid then asks for the best kind of markers: super-indelible-never-come-off-till-you’re-dead-and-maybe-even-later coloring markers. So Mom buys five hundred super-indelible-never-come-off-till-you're-dead-and-maybe-even-later coloring markers and for three weeks Brigid makes wonderful pictures and is content.

Then she gets bored.

And Brigid colors her fingernails . . . her hands . . . her face . . . her belly-button . . . and almost all of herself until she looks like mixed-up rainbows. And, of course, the color refuses to wash off. So Brigid finds a marker that is just the right color, the color of herself, and colors herself all over until she is her regular color again.

But Mother discovers what Brigid has done; she calls the doctor, and Brigid gets an orange pill. What will the orange pill do? And what is the big surprise about Dad?

This cute picture book is sure to have young readers giggling . . . especially at the surprise ending. Filled with exaggerations, predictability, over-the-top silliness, and brilliant illustrations, the target audience for this giggle-fest is the young reader, ages four through seven. The repetition is perfect for young readers as is the predictability of the story; the laugh-out-loud silliness is simply delightful.

For those who insist that every book written for children must teach a lesson of some sort, perhaps the one to learn here is that actions have consequences, or that you should always be true to your word.

But shouldn’t it be okay to have a book to read just because it’s ridiculously silly, because it makes the Little Ones laugh . . . and maybe it teaches the most important lesson of all, the one that says that reading truly is fun?

Recommended.

[Zoe McCurley]

Summary:
Purple, Green and Yellow is a humorous book by Robert Munsch. This book tells the story of young Brigid who loves to draw with her markers but she always wants the newest, most exciting markers. Brigid is never satisfied with regular markers so she asks for new washable markers and then scented markers and then invisible markers, but those still aren't enough so finally she asks for super-indelible-never-come-off-til-you're-dead-and-maybe-even-later markers. Brigid gets a little too curious and starts to use the permanent markers to color on herself. She tries everything to get the marker off but nothing works so she decides to to use her invisible marker to make herself invisible and then she colors herself back to normal with her permanent markers and her parents never even notice.

Response:
I thought this book was very cute and funny. I think it is very relatable to how we are always wanting the newest and best things. However, the new markers weren't all they were cracked up to be and I think that is an important lesson. Sometimes the things we want may end up causing us more trouble than they're worth. I also really loved the illustrations and thought this book would be really fun for young kids.

How I would use it:
I would definitely use this book with my clients. Even if we weren't working on reading, I could use the pictures to practice recognizing different colors. I could also use this book to practice storytelling and have the client read the book and then retell it back to me. There are so many fun ways this book could be used in therapy and I think young clients would love it.

[Brooke Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really fun book that will have kids giggling all throughout the story. In the story, Bridgid is always wanting the newest coloring markers that her friends have. She had washable markers, markers that smell, and permanent markers. With each type of marker, Bridgid would get bored, and need a new, cooler type of marker. Once she got bored with the permanent markers, she decided she would color herself. She realized that her Mom was going to be so upset with her, so she used a skin colored marker and covered up the colorful drawings all over her body. However, the skin colored marker washed off in the water, and she had to use a special pill to get the permanent marker. The special pill turned her invisible! So, she colored herself back to look good as new. This book is a great lesson for children when they are just starting to use markers and other utensils to draw. It would teach the students to be sure to only color on paper and not their bodies like the story. The only thing I don’t like about the book would be that there is not much content to the story besides the markers! I wish there was a better lesson.

[Tabitha Broek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about a girl who wanted coloring markers. To begin her mother said no, Bridget argues that she can get her washable markers. After this she wanted something that was better, so she asked her mother for markers that smelt good. She soon got board and want permanent mark that would never come off. She had a lot of fun until she got bored. Soon she got bored again, she then decided to color on herself. She realized that she could not get it off. She had the idea to cover it with a color that matched her skin. Her mom found out and called the doctor who gave her medicine. But it worked to good. She then had to draw herself back in. although this book is really funny, I found it hard to link it to a learning topic and/or activity that I would use in the classroom. I do think it is a funny book that students would enjoy. Its quite a good book, and would be fun to read as just a read aloud and to get the students interested in reading.

[Leann Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary

Brigid wants all the markers and does exactly what her mom tells her not to do, she makes the worst mess ever!

Evaluation

This story is a short book, great for younger students. This book does point out that she does not follow the rules, many teachers don't want this image in their student's mind. They will think it's okay to misbehave and disobey adults.


Teaching Ideas

This is a great to teach younger students about color and what's it's like to be an artist. Brigid is able to create a mess to show her true art, this is great but there are limits in the classroom. Teach that you can show your art, but there is a limit to what you can and can't-do in the classroom with ink that won't come off walls.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this in school, and I loved it. It was around the time the teachers didn't write on chalkboards, I was relatively young, and the markers my teacher did use were the good smelly markers. I remember it being pink and smelling like flowers.

I never liked smelly markers, but I loved colouring when I was a kid so that I can relate.

NOW HOWEVER

as a parent, I relate to the parent for not wanting the child to draw on anything or anyone.

It happens though. My walls have marker stains on them, my kids have drawn on themselves, it's just the way the cookie crumbles.

I LOVE IT.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This illustration style is not my favorite, but I love this book. I think it is so funny and very clever. This little girl asks her mom for markers over and over again. She wants the super permanent ones, but her mother is not sure if she can trust her daughter with something that permanent. When the daughter sticks to coloring to paper, her mother finally gives in and gets her the permanent markers. She colors all over herself. The mom washes her off so much that she turns invisible. But luckily, she is able to color herself back to normal. It is very cute and funny and a book that I think kids and adults will both enjoy. Robert Munsch is a children's book genius. I love all of his books.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the illustrations in this book; they were so colourful and inviting, it definitely drew me in as I was reading! However, I found the storyline of the book itself to be a bit confusing as the little girl kept commenting on how the markers were not making her happy, and how she had wanted stronger ones. Her mother kept telling her no, then, she finally gave in and gave her the markers that she had wanted. It was a bit difficult to follow the storyline directly however, I did enjoy the colourful pictures, it made reading it exciting!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another goofy story from Robert Munsch that kids are sure to love.

Bridget gets her mom to buy her markers by promising not to color the walls, floors, and herself. Each time she proves herself her mother trusts her more and eventually buys her super-indelibel-never-come-off-till-you're-dead-and-maybe-later coloring markers. But when Bridget gets bored and decides to color on herself after all, trouble follows and a surprise ending!

I love the way the story builds so naturally- this could be an oral story told around the campfire the way the tension builds

[Shamaa Farah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridget wanted to have the newest coloring markers. She had many different types of markers like washable ones and scented ones. Bridget then got these super-indelible-never-comes-off-till-you're-dead markers. She then began to draw on herself with a marker that was the same color as her skin. That color came off when she washed her hands and face, her rainbow-colored skin under. Her mother took her to the hospital and the doctor gave her a pill to remove the colors. Purple, Green, and Yellow was a fun silly book to read. This book is cute to discover drawing and colors.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I hadn't read this after so many others in The Munschworks Grand Treasury would I have liked it more? Maybe a bit. At least in this one the naughty kid doesn't triumph, so that's different. But is it a good or bad thing? Don't we read Munsch for that reason, a la' Mortimer?

[Sophie Klockow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This book is about a little girl who asks her mom for colored markers. Her mom gives in so long as the girl does not draw on the floor, herself, or the walls. After buying her a total of 1,500 regular, scented & permanent markers, the girl gets tired of drawing on paper, and draws on herself.
Connections: Love of coloring & always wanting more
How you would use it: Dr. Allen read this to the class during primary literacy

[Elise Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with a child who wants special markers but her mother does not want her to be able to draw on the walls and the floors. After showing her mom she will be able to have the markers without making a mess, her mom lets her have some. She then gets bored of writing on normal paper and decided to color her whole body.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book as a child and is still one of my favorite books as an adult. My parents recently found a secondhand copy in a bookstore and gave it to me for Christmas and IT IS STILL AWESOME and I'm 32. As an artistic child and adult, I saw myself so much in the main character and my mother definitely related to the mother.

[Miriam Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Purple, green and yellow. The illustrations are colorful and call for your attention until you have seen the entire image. The also go along with the text great, the illustrations add to the story as a visual representation of the text/plot. The storyline is also good and the overall tone is humorous, I can image how much a young reader will enjoy this story.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much since I also enjoyed art at an early age. I had markers and crayons, but drawing on myself never occurred to me like it did for the main character of this book. She colours all over herself with permanent markers and then colours over it with the original colours, and it washed off, revealing the permanent marks. What is she going to do? Read to find out!

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Munsch book ever! Everybody loves colored markers! The only markers around when I was a kid were permanent, so it was rare there were any left where we kids could get to them. I think I was 7 or 8 when Flair felt tip markers came out and I loved them! This book truly took me back to Flair days, but there was no coloring on anything other than paper at our house!

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when my sister was born (and soon passed on) and we spent endless days at the hospital. For some reason I've always remembered it, and apparently it had some sort of impact on me. Going to put it on hold and read it again.