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They Say Blue
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Picture Books (2018)Caldecott and Printz Honor-winning illustrator Jillian Tamaki brings us a poetic exploration of colour and nature from a young child’s point of view. They Say Blue follows a young girl as she contemplates colours in the known and the unknown, in the immediate world and the world beyond what she can see. The sea looks blue, yet water cupped in her hands is as clear as glass. Is a blue whale blue? She doesn’t know — she hasn’t seen one.
Stunningly beautiful illustrations flow from one spread to the next, as time passes and the imagination takes hold. The world is full of colour, and mystery too, in this first picture book from a highly acclaimed artist.
Stunningly beautiful illustrations flow from one spread to the next, as time passes and the imagination takes hold. The world is full of colour, and mystery too, in this first picture book from a highly acclaimed artist.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2018
9 people are currently reading
2048 people want to read
About the author
Jillian Tamaki
36 books908 followersJillian Tamaki is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Toronto. A professional artist since 2003, she has worked for publications around the world and taught extensively in New York at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is the co-creator, with her cousin Mariko Tamaki, of Skim and This One Summer, the latter of which won a Caldecott Honor in 2015. She is the author of the graphic novels SuperMutant Magic Academy, originally a serialized webcomic, and Boundless, a collection of short comic stories for adults. Her first picture book, They Say Blue, was released in 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 489 reviews
May 26, 2018
This is one of those books where adult me and child me would have been at opposite ends of the reviewing spectrum. Adult me thinks that this book is simply beautiful. As the main character ponders different colours and imagines herself as a tree weathering the seasons I felt this lovely sense of tranquility.
As she and her mother gaze out her bedroom window and wonder what the crows are thinking when they see them I paused and thought about all of the native birds I feed. I often wonder myself what they’re thinking and whether they’ve named me like I’ve named them. I wonder what my name is in bird world.
I loved Jillian Tamaki’s illustrations that capture the joy of playing in the ocean, the diversity of a school playground and the majesty of birds in flight. The exploration of colour in the illustrations complements the girl’s musings about various colours along the way.
Adult me has read this book three times already but still thinks there’s depth to the story I’m probably missing.
Child me (and I’m not ashamed to admit this) would have liked the pretty and colourful pictures but would have wondered where the story was and asked why the girl turned into a tree. Yes, I was a very literal child and I loved my Roald Dahl books so if a story didn’t come with a defined plot and interesting (hopefully interesting and quirky) characters, I’d be a bit “meh” about the book.
However, it’s adult me reviewing this book so I’m calling it gorgeous and giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
As she and her mother gaze out her bedroom window and wonder what the crows are thinking when they see them I paused and thought about all of the native birds I feed. I often wonder myself what they’re thinking and whether they’ve named me like I’ve named them. I wonder what my name is in bird world.
I loved Jillian Tamaki’s illustrations that capture the joy of playing in the ocean, the diversity of a school playground and the majesty of birds in flight. The exploration of colour in the illustrations complements the girl’s musings about various colours along the way.
Adult me has read this book three times already but still thinks there’s depth to the story I’m probably missing.
Child me (and I’m not ashamed to admit this) would have liked the pretty and colourful pictures but would have wondered where the story was and asked why the girl turned into a tree. Yes, I was a very literal child and I loved my Roald Dahl books so if a story didn’t come with a defined plot and interesting (hopefully interesting and quirky) characters, I’d be a bit “meh” about the book.
However, it’s adult me reviewing this book so I’m calling it gorgeous and giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
August 5, 2019
What a beautiful book about color. “They say blue is the color of the sky … which is true today!” That’s how the book starts out. Lovely. yet, when you put water in your hands, it looks clear. I love this story. In Chinese culture, for the longest time, they didn’t have the color blue. They have Qing, a blue green. In class we asked about the sea and sky being blue and in the Chinese mind, we were told, the sky and water changed color, so how can you say it is one color. How can you can it’s blue when it is always changing? Interesting right? They do have blue now and I don’t know when it was they adopted that color, but it’s an interesting idea this book picks up on.
A simple beginning book about color and how we relate to colors and all the colors in our daily life. I love color and I love this book.
The niece thought this book was ok, but rather young for her. She gave it 3 stars while the nephew read this and he went, ‘eh, it’s boring’. He gave this 1 stars. Oh well, he is growing up too and getting to be a lot to handle. I think my story time is coming to an end with him as well. He likes ‘Captain underpants’ type stuff. He used to be more interested in different stories, but now he is really into potty humor and robots. C’est la vie. Maybe, I can find some books he enjoys still.
A simple beginning book about color and how we relate to colors and all the colors in our daily life. I love color and I love this book.
The niece thought this book was ok, but rather young for her. She gave it 3 stars while the nephew read this and he went, ‘eh, it’s boring’. He gave this 1 stars. Oh well, he is growing up too and getting to be a lot to handle. I think my story time is coming to an end with him as well. He likes ‘Captain underpants’ type stuff. He used to be more interested in different stories, but now he is really into potty humor and robots. C’est la vie. Maybe, I can find some books he enjoys still.
November 7, 2018
3.5 stars. I didn't think I'd like this from the cover, the girl is drawn in a strange way, out of proportion and clumsy but the inside is a lot better. I really liked the illustrations and the quiet poetic text. A nice journey through colours and seasons.
December 2, 2018
Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #4 of 2018.
Lyra (11): 3.5 stars. I like the color and how you can see what they are talking about. Beautiful book.
Hank (12): 1.5 stars. Not good.
Harry (13): 4 stars. I love the art and it's very poetic.
Jenn (family friend): 5 stars. I love Jillian Tamaki's art work! Her illustrations are gorgeous--vivid, dreamy, lush. The narrative is composed of moments. I like the strangeness of Tamaki's book.
Tara: 3 stars. I like the color contrasts and all the vibrant colors.
Dave: 3.5 stars. A kind of meandering meditation on color, growth, seasons. I love all the color and movement in the illustration. It's not a story, but so what? I like the page where the kid is sprouting like a tree. It lacks focus, one image leads to another image to another image, which is what I mean by "meandering," above, but it's the art that stands out.
Lyra (11): 3.5 stars. I like the color and how you can see what they are talking about. Beautiful book.
Hank (12): 1.5 stars. Not good.
Harry (13): 4 stars. I love the art and it's very poetic.
Jenn (family friend): 5 stars. I love Jillian Tamaki's art work! Her illustrations are gorgeous--vivid, dreamy, lush. The narrative is composed of moments. I like the strangeness of Tamaki's book.
Tara: 3 stars. I like the color contrasts and all the vibrant colors.
Dave: 3.5 stars. A kind of meandering meditation on color, growth, seasons. I love all the color and movement in the illustration. It's not a story, but so what? I like the page where the kid is sprouting like a tree. It lacks focus, one image leads to another image to another image, which is what I mean by "meandering," above, but it's the art that stands out.
December 8, 2019
I liked this book. It’s a good about going through the seasons and more complex and interesting than most colors books. Its’ fun and sweet too. I enjoyed the illustrations as they went from blue (and clear) to orange to red to golden/yellow to gray to purple to green to brown to white to black. I was hoping it would come full circle and go back to blue but except for one illustration at the end (sort of) it didn’t. I wasn’t wowed by the “story” but I think this could be an interesting book for kids who enjoy nature, and the seasons, and like finding and/or viewing colors on pages. Most of the illustrations do not have just the highlighted color but many colors and I appreciated that. 3-1/2 stars
March 24, 2018
In a deliberate shift towards a child friendly art style, Jillian Tamaki has made a book filled with sensuous illustrations structured by a progression of colors. Unfortunately, the text doesn’t live up to her artistic prowess. It is absent of anything like a story, which might not have been a problem if the book had been subtitled “a poem” or if she had completely abandoned the notion of a consistent character that suggests a narrative trajectory. Instead, readers are left to wade through a series of quasi-poetic observations that don’t amount to a lasting memorable meaning. Jillian Tamaki has certainly proven herself as a capable and witty storyteller with works geared at older readers. Where did that version of her disappear to in the text of this book?
April 4, 2018
Am I missing something?? The art is beautiful. The beginning was wonderful, but the text and story (if you can call it that) are terrible! I thought it was unfocused, disjointed and too long.
The beginning starts out so nicely: blue sky, blue water...except when you look at water in your hand! Then it's clear and it sparkles in the sun! This is how the rest of it goes: A field looks like an ocean. I wonder if I could sail on it. Storm, nevermind. It's cold. Now it's warm. I'm a tree. It's summer, fall, winter. My hair is black and my mom braids it as we look out the window. Crows.
I have read wonderful books about mindfulness, childhood wonder, colors, seasons, etc. This is not it. It's a random collection of musings on a half dozen different subjects, with no real structure or point. But yes, gorgeous illustrations.
The beginning starts out so nicely: blue sky, blue water...except when you look at water in your hand! Then it's clear and it sparkles in the sun! This is how the rest of it goes: A field looks like an ocean. I wonder if I could sail on it. Storm, nevermind. It's cold. Now it's warm. I'm a tree. It's summer, fall, winter. My hair is black and my mom braids it as we look out the window. Crows.
I have read wonderful books about mindfulness, childhood wonder, colors, seasons, etc. This is not it. It's a random collection of musings on a half dozen different subjects, with no real structure or point. But yes, gorgeous illustrations.
August 16, 2019
This is a simple little concept book about colours and seasons. There's not a lot of story; rather, it's a collection of musings by a little girl about the nature of colours, the changing of the seasons, and the existence of wonders in the natural world.
I enjoyed looking at the pictures in this one. Kids probably will, too. I'm not sure about the appeal of the narrative for younger readers, though. As an adult, I enjoyed it. But it might be a little too philosophical for very young children.
Overall, I'd probably recommend this one to older picture-book readers. It's a little beyond the "learning colours" stage, which is where many books about colour seem to be aimed.
Quotable moment:
I enjoyed looking at the pictures in this one. Kids probably will, too. I'm not sure about the appeal of the narrative for younger readers, though. As an adult, I enjoyed it. But it might be a little too philosophical for very young children.
Overall, I'd probably recommend this one to older picture-book readers. It's a little beyond the "learning colours" stage, which is where many books about colour seem to be aimed.
Quotable moment:
January 15, 2019
Incoherent, if you ask me or my son.
December 18, 2018
3.5 stars. Kind of sweet and meditative, as a young girl sees colours all around her. Felt a little light, and left me wanting a little more out of this little book.
November 7, 2018
Now for basically a concept book on colours, nature and the seasons, Jillian Tanaki's They Say Blue is in many ways aesthetically magical (and especially at the beginning of They Say Blue, the interplay between Tanaki's lyrical free verse poetry and her accompanying illustrations is lyrically sweet, enchanting, almost song-like in scope and feel). However (and for me personally), there is just a bit too much of a visual emphasis on the little girl, on the young narrator of They Say Blue, and with that I mean, I definitely would much prefer to ONLY see colours and depictions of nature, to actually not have ANY visual representations of human figures at all included in They Say Blue. For to and for me at least, especially the continually depicted and shown little girl, as well as the spreads where multiple images of ONLY human beings are shown, I feel that this kind of pushes the narrative, Tanaki's poetic words into the background a bit and that the delightfully poetic and caressing textual images of colours, of nature, of seasonal changes are actually even a trifle lessened and rendered somewhat pale and lifeless by those spreads which portray mostly illustrated human masses (and indeed, that image of the little girl turning into a tree is really too strange and fairy tale like to work with a basically realistic although imaginative poetical narrative on seasons, colours and the wheel of nature). Four stars for Jillian Tamaki's poetry and for how she illustratively uses colour and light, how she depicts environmental, seasonal and natural images, but the fact that I really aesthetically do not all that much enjoy the pictorial emphasis on the narrator of They Say Blue, this does indeed make my average ranking but three stars, as on a personal level, there are just too many human beings depicted, considering that the text of They Say Blue mostly concentrates on colours and on natural, non human images.
November 25, 2018
I don't see this as a concept book, but rather as philosophy, as a book that belongs on the same shelf as Zen Shorts. It's an ode to all that colors can mean to an observant, imaginative child.
I don't really have much to say about it... I think it either clicks with a reader or doesn't. I'd give it 4.5 stars.
I don't really have much to say about it... I think it either clicks with a reader or doesn't. I'd give it 4.5 stars.
April 9, 2018
Oh, this is so beautiful. Yes, as reviewed, the narrative is less a narrative and more contemplative, but the sounds of the words combined with the art is actually breathtaking. It's full of movement, yet at the same time still and calming. This is so gorgeous.
February 10, 2019
Winning a Caldecott award has launched the career of numerous illustrators, and Jillian Tamaki's popularity rose after a graphic novel she illustrated, This One Summer, earned a Caldecott Honor in 2015. The artwork for They Say Blue is just as impressive, painting our world in fiery reds and lively greens, serene blues and splendorous golds, a spectacular show of nature's beauty. The paintings would be praiseworthy even without a story.
Is the sky blue? Some days it is. The ocean appears blue much of the time, from a distance. Whatever color it is, the water is fun to splash and swim in. Certain creatures of the ocean depths are bluer than we may ever see in person...or will we? Runny egg yolks are orange, and human blood is red, pounding away inside the veins. A field of grass is like an amber sea; you could imagine riding a boat on it, bobbing up and down. The seasons bring new arrays of color: fluorescent flowers peeking up through the cool dirt in early spring, and tree branches sprouting green at the tips. The color palette shifts to red-gold in autumn, and then in winter to blue, gray, and black. But even in the snow and cold, crows are active. The big birds can be seen flying almost anywhere, but no one knows their thoughts. They're part of the mystery of life, desire, and resplendent color touching our world from horizon to horizon.
They Say Blue features gorgeous artwork, though the story has little apparent meaning. I struggle to pinpoint what we're supposed to take away from it. If what you want is rich color and evocative scenery, though, you've found the right book, and for that reason I might rate it one and a half stars. They Say Blue is definitely a treat for the eyes.
Is the sky blue? Some days it is. The ocean appears blue much of the time, from a distance. Whatever color it is, the water is fun to splash and swim in. Certain creatures of the ocean depths are bluer than we may ever see in person...or will we? Runny egg yolks are orange, and human blood is red, pounding away inside the veins. A field of grass is like an amber sea; you could imagine riding a boat on it, bobbing up and down. The seasons bring new arrays of color: fluorescent flowers peeking up through the cool dirt in early spring, and tree branches sprouting green at the tips. The color palette shifts to red-gold in autumn, and then in winter to blue, gray, and black. But even in the snow and cold, crows are active. The big birds can be seen flying almost anywhere, but no one knows their thoughts. They're part of the mystery of life, desire, and resplendent color touching our world from horizon to horizon.
They Say Blue features gorgeous artwork, though the story has little apparent meaning. I struggle to pinpoint what we're supposed to take away from it. If what you want is rich color and evocative scenery, though, you've found the right book, and for that reason I might rate it one and a half stars. They Say Blue is definitely a treat for the eyes.
January 15, 2019
Author/illustrator Jillian Tamaki, best known for her graphic novels, makes her picture-book debut with They Say Blue, a lovely, poetic examination of colors and seasons. A young girl observes and interacts with the natural world around her, appreciating the blue of sky and sea, the gold of grass, and the gray of rainstorms. Eventually, she sprouts into a tree - at least, in her dreams - and experiences the seasons of the year...
I found They Say Blue immensely appealing, from a visual perspective, and I appreciated the text. I debated with a colleague about this one, after he suggested it would work better as a wordless picture-book. Although I do think that the text here could be pared down a bit, Tamaki's visual narrative isn't quite at the point that it could carry the story along by itself. The reference to the red of blood, for instance, which flows through the narrator's veins, would be completely lost if this were a wordless book. Leaving that issue aside, I do think this is a beautiful book, and I found the artwork colorful and full of a sense of motion that perfectly matched the narrative. Recommended to those who appreciate beautifully-illustrated picture-books, or are looking for children's titles exploring concepts such as the seasons and/or colors.
I found They Say Blue immensely appealing, from a visual perspective, and I appreciated the text. I debated with a colleague about this one, after he suggested it would work better as a wordless picture-book. Although I do think that the text here could be pared down a bit, Tamaki's visual narrative isn't quite at the point that it could carry the story along by itself. The reference to the red of blood, for instance, which flows through the narrator's veins, would be completely lost if this were a wordless book. Leaving that issue aside, I do think this is a beautiful book, and I found the artwork colorful and full of a sense of motion that perfectly matched the narrative. Recommended to those who appreciate beautifully-illustrated picture-books, or are looking for children's titles exploring concepts such as the seasons and/or colors.
November 20, 2019
There's really no story here: just a young girl noticing the colors, the seasons, and the world around her, but the author's artwork is exquisite, and makes this one worth a look.
January 15, 2019
I picked up several picture books from the library recently, and while I miss reading them with little ones, I still enjoy a brief dip into this type of book.
This one is about a child and her exploration of colors and the natural world. I didn't find the text compelling, but the art is lovely. 2 stars for the text, and 4 stars for the art, is how I arrived at my rating.
This one is about a child and her exploration of colors and the natural world. I didn't find the text compelling, but the art is lovely. 2 stars for the text, and 4 stars for the art, is how I arrived at my rating.
April 26, 2018
I was confused by the text -- first it is a child exploring her world using color as a touchpoint - but then does the child become a tree? Then we travel through the seasons with a tree and then the child and tree intersect with ugly black crows that convey a mood so different from the beautiful ocean blue scenes in the opening pages. I had a hard time with this book -- :(
May 11, 2018
The art is five stars. Gorgeous. On the first few reads, though, the story left me like huh? I thought it was a story about colors, about seasons, which is what I expected. But then it was about a girl turning into a tree and the ending didn't click for me.
On the surface, this is hardly a story at all (to be fair, a great many picture books don't really have stories -- just sequences). It took me several reads before I was like oh damn I think I get it maybe. They say blue is the color of the sky. And at the end of the book the sky is this bold red and orange dotted with black crows. Nice. How do we perceive the world around us? For that matter, how do crows perceive it?
So I think it takes some work to appreciate the text, but that's pretty true of most good poems and good art. I think this book could start some very interesting conversations with kids. And I do like books that ask a lot of questions.
On the surface, this is hardly a story at all (to be fair, a great many picture books don't really have stories -- just sequences). It took me several reads before I was like oh damn I think I get it maybe. They say blue is the color of the sky. And at the end of the book the sky is this bold red and orange dotted with black crows. Nice. How do we perceive the world around us? For that matter, how do crows perceive it?
So I think it takes some work to appreciate the text, but that's pretty true of most good poems and good art. I think this book could start some very interesting conversations with kids. And I do like books that ask a lot of questions.
April 3, 2018
A gorgeously illustrated picture book contemplating the colors of the natural world.
A beautiful use of the rainbow of colors to tell a story full of wonder and stunning imagery as seen through the eyes of a young girl. I loved how she managed to convey the change in time and a change of emotions in various parts of the book.
This is definitely worth reading and rereading or just admiring the art.
A beautiful use of the rainbow of colors to tell a story full of wonder and stunning imagery as seen through the eyes of a young girl. I loved how she managed to convey the change in time and a change of emotions in various parts of the book.
This is definitely worth reading and rereading or just admiring the art.
April 23, 2018
I just read this book to a class of kindergarten kids and it was a true winner. First of all the art is gorgeous - so cool to see the range that Tamaki has after enjoying some of her older works like This One Summer. Also the connections to key concepts for younger kids were perfect - colors and seasons and family. The pictures are rich and the text is sparse which keeps the book moving nicely. A lovely read for the young ones.
March 20, 2018
The illustrations are bright and vivid. However, the story just left me wanting more details. I understand that the girl in the story is curious, but I feel like young readers might not get that. The story ended abruptly.
November 22, 2018
There's no storyline to this book but I'm assuming its goal is to teach kids different colours. Although this book doesn't have a plot (and we never find out the little girl's name) it incorporates colours into the text and illustrations beautifully. Bonus star for the gorgeous artwork.
February 27, 2019
Musings on color and seasons. Text is lyrical but not a story in the traditional sense. Meanders as a child often does, and this adds to the meditative quality, but does make it more difficult to follow. Noteworthy acrylic paintings are full of texture and movement.
March 2, 2018
I LOVE this one more than words can say. To so fully capture the magic of both colours and childhood? Jillian, you're amazing.
December 14, 2018
The illustrations were fabulous; the story was a little tough for me to follow. I am curious what children will think of it.
March 22, 2025
Absolutely gorgeous picture about colour and nature, wouldn't expect anything less from Jillian Tamaki
December 5, 2018
This had so much potential, but it just didn't work. The art is dreamy and beautiful, but there is no flow to the story and the words have no rhythm at all. This feels like pages from the artist's idea book, randomly stitched together, and accidentally shipped to the printer before the proper words could be added.
Very long review because I loved the art so much but I was so disappointed by the book.
First we open with a girl in her bathing suit at the beach, and it talks about how things that are called "blue" do not always look blue. Okay, that's interesting. I was excited to see where this was going!
And then (and I had to go back and check the book, because there was no logical order to this I could not remember what came next) it's talking about orange egg yolk and red blood, and you don't need to see it to know what color it is. (Which, of course, is because you've seen it before from a different egg or maybe a cut on your knee. But the book doesn't talk about that.) So then I think maybe this is going to be an interesting book about colors for preschoolers, and I was ready to be impressed by the unusual delivery, but a little disappointed that it was just going to be a color book.
But there are two more pages spent talking about what blood does in your body as you move around which is really interesting to preschoolers but why is it in THIS book and I'm wondering: is this ... well, what IS this? This book has no focus!
And then ... randomly ... it's ... autumn? or winter? And the girl is playing in the yellowed grasses and using her imagination and okay that's interesting but holy cow this book is all over the place! After that it's definitely winter (why is it winter??? just a few pages ago the girl was swimming at the beach in summer Is this a seasons book or a color book???) and at this point my 12 year old daughter definitively announced that she did NOT like this book, it's boring. And it is, it's boring! Because it never builds up to anything, it just skitters around from one idea to the next.
So, it's winter, and the girl is sad about winter, but hopeful when she sees a purple crocus, so okay I guess this book is still trying to be a preschooler's color book but it's REALLY random and long and it could never hold a preschooler's attention to the end. This book would be a disastrous choice for group storytime.
After the purple crocus, the book decides No, I am not a color book, I am an IMAGINATION book - geez, make up your mind, book!! The girl imagines she is a tree, and then there are six random pages about what happens to a tree during the seasons, which is very nice but has no place in this color book, this is going to completely lose little kids.
After the tree bit, we are back to COLORS, and the little girl's hair is BLACK and crows are BLACK and then suddenly BOOM that's the END, with no build up to an ending, I was really shocked when I turned the page and discovered that was it. I even flipped back and forth a few times to see if two pages were stuck together.
My twelve year old agreed (without prompting from me) that the art is gorgeous. I tried to interest her in Tamaki's book for tweens (This One Summer), but she wanted nothing to do with it after sitting through this one.
Very long review because I loved the art so much but I was so disappointed by the book.
First we open with a girl in her bathing suit at the beach, and it talks about how things that are called "blue" do not always look blue. Okay, that's interesting. I was excited to see where this was going!
And then (and I had to go back and check the book, because there was no logical order to this I could not remember what came next) it's talking about orange egg yolk and red blood, and you don't need to see it to know what color it is. (Which, of course, is because you've seen it before from a different egg or maybe a cut on your knee. But the book doesn't talk about that.) So then I think maybe this is going to be an interesting book about colors for preschoolers, and I was ready to be impressed by the unusual delivery, but a little disappointed that it was just going to be a color book.
But there are two more pages spent talking about what blood does in your body as you move around which is really interesting to preschoolers but why is it in THIS book and I'm wondering: is this ... well, what IS this? This book has no focus!
And then ... randomly ... it's ... autumn? or winter? And the girl is playing in the yellowed grasses and using her imagination and okay that's interesting but holy cow this book is all over the place! After that it's definitely winter (why is it winter??? just a few pages ago the girl was swimming at the beach in summer Is this a seasons book or a color book???) and at this point my 12 year old daughter definitively announced that she did NOT like this book, it's boring. And it is, it's boring! Because it never builds up to anything, it just skitters around from one idea to the next.
So, it's winter, and the girl is sad about winter, but hopeful when she sees a purple crocus, so okay I guess this book is still trying to be a preschooler's color book but it's REALLY random and long and it could never hold a preschooler's attention to the end. This book would be a disastrous choice for group storytime.
After the purple crocus, the book decides No, I am not a color book, I am an IMAGINATION book - geez, make up your mind, book!! The girl imagines she is a tree, and then there are six random pages about what happens to a tree during the seasons, which is very nice but has no place in this color book, this is going to completely lose little kids.
After the tree bit, we are back to COLORS, and the little girl's hair is BLACK and crows are BLACK and then suddenly BOOM that's the END, with no build up to an ending, I was really shocked when I turned the page and discovered that was it. I even flipped back and forth a few times to see if two pages were stuck together.
My twelve year old agreed (without prompting from me) that the art is gorgeous. I tried to interest her in Tamaki's book for tweens (This One Summer), but she wanted nothing to do with it after sitting through this one.
August 7, 2018
Breathtaking is the only way to describe this book. Intricately detailed, beautifully colored artwork takes the reader through a journey of colors as a little girl explores her world and wonders at how the colors fit into it. Blue is the color of the ocean, yet up close the ocean is clear. The fields of grass look like a golden ocean but it is still only grass. Color heralds the change of seasons, brightly colored flowers in the spring, green leaves in the summer, gold and red leaves that fall in the autumn and the silence of white in the winter. Throughout, deft brush strokes and sketch lines keep this story in constant motion and make the reader feel the childlike wonder of the young narrator. Per usual, Tamaki’s art is the story and will keep young ones fascinated in an exploration of the detail.
Let's talk more about kid's books at I Read Kid's Book Journal
Let's talk more about kid's books at I Read Kid's Book Journal
April 9, 2018
This is a beautiful book. From illustrations to text, through and through. My only complaint is a really, really picky one... the whole voice/concept of the text confused me. Who is "they?" Is there any question that the items illustrated are the colors the author includes? The whole, "they say" thread throughout the book seems to imply that the narrator sees something different than others do, but she doesn't. She looks at the sea and sees blue. She knows her blood is red. Etc, etc, etc. I just didn't understand who "they" was. "They say," implies that the narrator is questioning the colors around her, but instead she seems to be admiring the colors. Very picky of me though, for such a vibrant, clever book.
And it seems like every picture book I read lately is about the passing of the seasons! This one pulls it off.
And it seems like every picture book I read lately is about the passing of the seasons! This one pulls it off.
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