The Colorful Monster. A pop-up book (Anna Llenas, Editorial Flamboyant)

El monstruo de colores. Un libro pop-up is a beautifully engineered pop-up edition of Anna Llenas’ bestselling picture book that helps young children recognise and name their emotions. In this interactive version, the friendly Colour Monster gets completely confused by what he feels, and each double-page spread “pops” into life as he learns to sort joy, sadness, anger, fear and calm into their own colours and places. 

Designed for children from around 3 years old, this sturdy hardback with 3D scenes invites little readers to touch, explore and talk. The expressive illustrations and large format (approx. 27 × 23 cm, 22 pages) make it ideal for story time at home, in kindergarten or in emotional-education activities. 

Each emotion has its own colour and visual world: yellow joy bursts out in bright, lively shapes; blue sadness becomes soft and quiet; red anger is intense and spiky; black fear feels dark and uncertain; green calm is peaceful and balanced. These simple, memorable associations give children a concrete language to describe how they feel during the day and to understand that every emotion has a place and a purpose. 

Parents, teachers and therapists value this book as a gentle introduction to emotional literacy. The pop-up elements capture attention even in very young children, while the short, clear text makes it easy for adults to adapt the story to each child’s experience. It’s especially useful for moments of tantrums, first days at school or big changes at home, when children need help to decode overwhelming feelings. 

Whether you are starting a small emotional-education library or looking for a meaningful gift, El monstruo de colores (Pop-Up) is a standout choice: visually striking, durable and full of opportunities to open honest conversations about feelings that children will return to again and again.