The Colors of Russia, by Shannon Zemlicka, illustrated by Jeni Reeves, is a beautiful little paperback book that teaches children about various aspects of the Russian culture (the yellow palace in Saint Petersburg, the red flag of the Communist party - as well as some history since then, the blue of Lake Baikul, the black of caviar, the gold of the Russian Orthodox church, etc.).

One thing that's nice about this book is that the Russian people portrayed are of diverse ethnic heritage. The people on the "White" page - white for snow - are Chukchis, indigenous people who live in Siberia. And on the green page, which is green for the grass on the steppes, a Scythian (one of the nomadic tribes) is pictured riding a horse. Since there are so many ethnicities in Russia it's wonderful to see a children's book that acknowledges it.