What Does the Sky Say?

by Nancy White Carlstrom, Tim Ladwig (Illustrator)

"What does the sky say?" a child asks.
What does it say on a winter day, or on a
Saturday night, or when the rain beats on its chest,
or its mouth is full of moon?

A child watches the sky in changing seasons and in all kinds of weather and learns to listen to its voice.

In  What Does the Sky Say?  author Nancy White Carlstrom's imaginative and poetic text encourages all readers, both very young and older, to wake up to and participate in the opportunities for joy and learning each day offers. And Tim Ladwig's extraordinary illustrations perfectly capture the moods of weather and season, the magic of childhood, and our deep connection to all creation and its Creator.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Nancy White Carlstrom has written more than 50 books for children, including the Jesse Bear series with illustrator Bruce Degan.

Born the daughter of steel mill worker William J. and Eva (Lawrence) White, Nancy White Carlstrom was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1948. She practiced writing poetry, enjoyed reading books like Little Women, and wanted to become a children’s book author at an early age. Carlstrom worked in the children’s department of her local library in Washington during her high school years. She graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, majoring in Elementary Education and earning her B.A. in 1970, also studying at Harvard Extension School and Radcliffe from 1974 to 1976. In September of 1974, she married David R. Carlstrom, later a pilot and a marketing director at Fairbanks International Airport. They had two children—Jesse and Joshua.

She draws inspiration from her 18 years living in Alaska, volunteer experiences in Africa and Haiti, and raising her two sons.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t really like. Props for making the most esoteric prompt for a children’s book possible but the illustration style, message and examples didn’t do it for me. The colors were beautiful but I didn’t like the style of drawing and the psalm at the end sealed for me that I wasn’t the target audience and didn’t “get” it because it was hinging on a belief I don’t share. Like ultimately it was about God not the sky and I would have liked it better if it was about the sky

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Evocative #Nature #child #Interaction Many #moods of sky explored wonderfully in the book. Some lines are #exquisite #YoungReaders #PictureBook #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #AmReading

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better childrens books I've come across. The illustrations are beautiful with the writing even more so. There's more than meets the eye here and while Julia enjoyed it I think I'm going to read it to her again when she's just a little older.

[Halea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a child who goes through each season through the sky. You can feel the different moods and feelings as the book describes the seasons. It is a great book for church as well because it gives the sense of learning about what God has created on this earth.

[Pita-eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Tim Ladwig proves to be a phenomenal illustrator.