A symbol is a symbol that can express a specific meaning or content, and plays an important role in social communication and exchange. Color itself has no fixed meaning. When we give color emotional and cultural connotations, it becomes a language, a symbolic code, that is, a color symbol. In the field of visual arts, color symbols show unique value. As a form of visual art, color is an indispensable and important element in the creation of picture books. This article takes children's picture books as the core, explores the meaning and value of color symbols in picture book creation and appreciation, and analyzes its application in aesthetic expression, instruction and guidance, cultural communication, and cognitive development for children of different ages.