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If You Look Up to the Sky
There are times when a full moon will guide you, a storm will excite you, and a big, blue sky will inspire you to believe anything is possible. These are a few of the many gifts we receive from the sky and universe when life feels scary and confusing.
Told by a grandmother to her grandchild, If You Look Up to the Sky is about the power of everlasting love and the ways the sky connects us through good times and bad. It offers a child comfort in knowing that you never need to be afraid... if you look up to the sky.
Told by a grandmother to her grandchild, If You Look Up to the Sky is about the power of everlasting love and the ways the sky connects us through good times and bad. It offers a child comfort in knowing that you never need to be afraid... if you look up to the sky.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
24 pages, Hardcover
Published October 16, 2017
1 person is currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 1, 2018
“If You Look Up to the Sky is about the power of love and the ways the sky can protect us through good times and bad.”
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review. All opinions, as always are my own.
After another school shooting in the US a couple weeks ago and honoring the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death this week, this book came to me at a perfect time.
The book offers comfort for a child knowing that you never need to be afraid if you look up to the sky.
The author, Angela Dalton, is a bright light in real life, as well as through this book. Angela and the illustrator are passionate about representation in books.
They funded this book on Kickstarter and it was so successful that they are raising money to donate 100 books to the Marley Dias 1000 Black Girl Books campaign to continue to reach the hearts of young girls of color.
This visually stunning book begins with the heartwarming story of a young girl sitting on the porch with her grandmother and listening to her tell stories.
Through the lyrical text, you can feel the wisdom lifting off the page and transporting you to your own childhood memories.
Children will learn the valuable lessons of being content when things are going well, and still during a crisis to process all of the feelings you are having and have hope that the tough time will indeed pass.
The book helps children fight for their dreams and soak in all the ways the universe shows you that anything is possible as long as you don’t give up.
Even the moon can provide us with a feeling of love, guidance, and protection as long as we look up to the sky as we remember to be grateful for another day in the universe to make a difference.
A very high-quality book that is perfect for reading on Grandparent's Day (or any day:)).
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review. All opinions, as always are my own.
After another school shooting in the US a couple weeks ago and honoring the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death this week, this book came to me at a perfect time.
The book offers comfort for a child knowing that you never need to be afraid if you look up to the sky.
The author, Angela Dalton, is a bright light in real life, as well as through this book. Angela and the illustrator are passionate about representation in books.
They funded this book on Kickstarter and it was so successful that they are raising money to donate 100 books to the Marley Dias 1000 Black Girl Books campaign to continue to reach the hearts of young girls of color.
This visually stunning book begins with the heartwarming story of a young girl sitting on the porch with her grandmother and listening to her tell stories.
Through the lyrical text, you can feel the wisdom lifting off the page and transporting you to your own childhood memories.
Children will learn the valuable lessons of being content when things are going well, and still during a crisis to process all of the feelings you are having and have hope that the tough time will indeed pass.
The book helps children fight for their dreams and soak in all the ways the universe shows you that anything is possible as long as you don’t give up.
Even the moon can provide us with a feeling of love, guidance, and protection as long as we look up to the sky as we remember to be grateful for another day in the universe to make a difference.
A very high-quality book that is perfect for reading on Grandparent's Day (or any day:)).
August 8, 2018
It's so sweet and poignant. I loved it so much.
When I am a grandmother one day this will be the first book I read to them.
When I am a grandmother one day this will be the first book I read to them.
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August 30, 2019I wish I had had this book to review in April, National Poetry Month. It is such a beautiful, prayer-like ode to slowing down and worrying less. It’s also a beautiful remembrance of a grandmother who knew how to soothe a worried child.
Each line of the poem starts with “If you look up to the sky…” The child seen in the illustrations shares that their grandmother would encourage them to look up and notice what was in the sky. Through the story they share each of the meanings held by the different skies you might encounter. Some meanings are affirmations about a person’s worth or what they bring to the world. Others are mantras about taking life as it comes and finding solace and strength in whatever comes your way.
I know in our house we’re dealing with some anxiety and I have been looking for ways to help my daughter feel loved, seen, and connected and give her some ideas she can keep in her back pocket for when she’s feeling worried. I’m putting this book into heavy rotation at bedtime and mentioning it during times she’s struggling.
I also appreciate that the book can be used to help with grief over the loss of a loved one. In the beginning the young child remembers what their grandmother would say when she sat the child on her lap. As the book progresses, the child ages up and appears to become an adult. The final stanza is “But know that you will always find me, in the brightness of the moon…If you look up to the sky.” The final illustration shows the grandmother’s face in the face of the full moon shining down on the silhouette of a parent and child waving up at the moon grandmother. I interpreted this to mean that the grandmother had passed on, but had left the gift of looking at the sky as well as a memory of her in the moon for her family. I don’t think you need to draw a connection to this explicitly, but if you are looking for some comfort in a time of loss, I do think this book could be a resource and help.
The illustrations all feature a child of color, which, at least in my experience, is rare in a bedtime-style book (Ten Nine Eight by Molly Bang notably comes to mind, but few others do). The soft colors and fuzzy edges give the pictures a dreamy, soothing quality that really matches the message of the book. Nature features prominently too, as you might expect with stanzas interpreting what the sky indicates.
I highly recommend this one for home libraries. I do think there is a place for it on library shelves as children need to find it and find the wisdom in it. I see it fitting better with the mission of public libraries who provide books for families to share without needing to support a curriculum or study, but school libraries should consider it if they do social-emotional learning or have a collection with affirming books.
Each line of the poem starts with “If you look up to the sky…” The child seen in the illustrations shares that their grandmother would encourage them to look up and notice what was in the sky. Through the story they share each of the meanings held by the different skies you might encounter. Some meanings are affirmations about a person’s worth or what they bring to the world. Others are mantras about taking life as it comes and finding solace and strength in whatever comes your way.
I know in our house we’re dealing with some anxiety and I have been looking for ways to help my daughter feel loved, seen, and connected and give her some ideas she can keep in her back pocket for when she’s feeling worried. I’m putting this book into heavy rotation at bedtime and mentioning it during times she’s struggling.
I also appreciate that the book can be used to help with grief over the loss of a loved one. In the beginning the young child remembers what their grandmother would say when she sat the child on her lap. As the book progresses, the child ages up and appears to become an adult. The final stanza is “But know that you will always find me, in the brightness of the moon…If you look up to the sky.” The final illustration shows the grandmother’s face in the face of the full moon shining down on the silhouette of a parent and child waving up at the moon grandmother. I interpreted this to mean that the grandmother had passed on, but had left the gift of looking at the sky as well as a memory of her in the moon for her family. I don’t think you need to draw a connection to this explicitly, but if you are looking for some comfort in a time of loss, I do think this book could be a resource and help.
The illustrations all feature a child of color, which, at least in my experience, is rare in a bedtime-style book (Ten Nine Eight by Molly Bang notably comes to mind, but few others do). The soft colors and fuzzy edges give the pictures a dreamy, soothing quality that really matches the message of the book. Nature features prominently too, as you might expect with stanzas interpreting what the sky indicates.
I highly recommend this one for home libraries. I do think there is a place for it on library shelves as children need to find it and find the wisdom in it. I see it fitting better with the mission of public libraries who provide books for families to share without needing to support a curriculum or study, but school libraries should consider it if they do social-emotional learning or have a collection with affirming books.
May 20, 2019
https://raisethemrighteous.com/2019/0...
Written by Angela Dalton and illustrated by Margarita Sikorshai, If You Look Up to the Sky, is a beautiful story that subtly explores intergenerational love and nurturance as well as the vastness and intimacy of the universe.
The book opens with the narrator telling a story to an unknown listener: “When I was a little girl,/ I used to sit on my grandmother’s lap/ and we would look up to the sky/ and she would say…”. The accompanying warmly illustrated image depicts a young girl with brown skin in a pink dress sitting in the lap of an older brown-skinned woman whose long grey hair is braided. The older woman sits in a rocking chair and they both look up at the sky.
Time then moves backward as the narrative voice shifts from the adult woman to her grandmother who tells the first narrator’s child-self wise words of encouragement meant to solicit wonder and bravery. The sweet words that dance across the page prompt reflection. For instance, Dalton writes: “If you look up to the sky and it is filled with stars, name one after each of your accomplishments.”
Both calming and provocative, the night sky that dominates the text is seen through the eyes of the child who grows up with every turn of the page. On the last page she looks up to the sky, anthropomorphized into the likeness of an old woman, while she holds the hand of a child. It is visually implied that her grandmother has passed away, and that she is sharing memories, through stories, with her own child.
This exquisitely illustrated book will make a welcome addition to any young child’s bookshelf and bedroom routine. On the surface it’s a simple story that can be shared with children as young as three, but it has enough depth to engage far older children. I can see this becoming a much-loved go-to book that prompts families to share their own stories and impart their own wisdom.
If You Look Up to then Sky can be purchased from Itasca Book.
Written by Angela Dalton and illustrated by Margarita Sikorshai, If You Look Up to the Sky, is a beautiful story that subtly explores intergenerational love and nurturance as well as the vastness and intimacy of the universe.
The book opens with the narrator telling a story to an unknown listener: “When I was a little girl,/ I used to sit on my grandmother’s lap/ and we would look up to the sky/ and she would say…”. The accompanying warmly illustrated image depicts a young girl with brown skin in a pink dress sitting in the lap of an older brown-skinned woman whose long grey hair is braided. The older woman sits in a rocking chair and they both look up at the sky.
Time then moves backward as the narrative voice shifts from the adult woman to her grandmother who tells the first narrator’s child-self wise words of encouragement meant to solicit wonder and bravery. The sweet words that dance across the page prompt reflection. For instance, Dalton writes: “If you look up to the sky and it is filled with stars, name one after each of your accomplishments.”
Both calming and provocative, the night sky that dominates the text is seen through the eyes of the child who grows up with every turn of the page. On the last page she looks up to the sky, anthropomorphized into the likeness of an old woman, while she holds the hand of a child. It is visually implied that her grandmother has passed away, and that she is sharing memories, through stories, with her own child.
This exquisitely illustrated book will make a welcome addition to any young child’s bookshelf and bedroom routine. On the surface it’s a simple story that can be shared with children as young as three, but it has enough depth to engage far older children. I can see this becoming a much-loved go-to book that prompts families to share their own stories and impart their own wisdom.
If You Look Up to then Sky can be purchased from Itasca Book.
January 9, 2018
Disclaimer: I was provided an advanced copy of this book from the author to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are my own.
If You Look Up to the Sky is a wonderful story of the power of the sky to help you get through the ups and downs life brings and to remember the important people and places in your life. The illustration of this book is nothing short of amazing. Each picture tells a story and perfectly complements the words in every way. My children were captivated by the pictures and symbolism beautifully laid out in the pictures and accompanying text.
This book targets early readers (ages 3 and up), and could be read to younger children as a fun night time story which is exactly what we did. As soon as I showed the book to my children, ages 6 and 9, they both asked me to read it to them as their bedtime story. Although my son is bit more advanced than the age range the book is targeted for, If You Look Up to the Sky was perfect to read together and it allowed me the opportunity to ask them philosophical questions and discuss the things they see when they look at the sky. The book also gave us a lens to understand life and the things that happen in life and how you can cope in good and tough times. Also as someone who had an extremely close relationship with my grandmother the story loop between the grandmother and protagonist was especially touching. Bottom line: If You Look Up to the Sky is a great read and a delightful book to share.
If You Look Up to the Sky is a wonderful story of the power of the sky to help you get through the ups and downs life brings and to remember the important people and places in your life. The illustration of this book is nothing short of amazing. Each picture tells a story and perfectly complements the words in every way. My children were captivated by the pictures and symbolism beautifully laid out in the pictures and accompanying text.
This book targets early readers (ages 3 and up), and could be read to younger children as a fun night time story which is exactly what we did. As soon as I showed the book to my children, ages 6 and 9, they both asked me to read it to them as their bedtime story. Although my son is bit more advanced than the age range the book is targeted for, If You Look Up to the Sky was perfect to read together and it allowed me the opportunity to ask them philosophical questions and discuss the things they see when they look at the sky. The book also gave us a lens to understand life and the things that happen in life and how you can cope in good and tough times. Also as someone who had an extremely close relationship with my grandmother the story loop between the grandmother and protagonist was especially touching. Bottom line: If You Look Up to the Sky is a great read and a delightful book to share.
August 3, 2018
As I read this lovely picture book, I was taken back to my Grandmother's porch where we would sit together and watch the clouds or gaze at the stars. We had conversations very similar to the one depicted in this book; topics & feelings could be discussed more easily with Grandma. My Grandmother made me feel special, validated, unique and precious, especially when I didn't feel that way about myself.
My hope is that every child has someone to ponder the wonders of our beautiful world with - to sit and just be together without expectations, agendas or plans. Just love and understanding to calm the sometimes frantic pace of daily life or to ease the worries that a young heart might hold.
I would love to share If You Look Up to the Sky at story time, but like Good Dog I don't know if I can successfully read this one without crying!
My hope is that every child has someone to ponder the wonders of our beautiful world with - to sit and just be together without expectations, agendas or plans. Just love and understanding to calm the sometimes frantic pace of daily life or to ease the worries that a young heart might hold.
I would love to share If You Look Up to the Sky at story time, but like Good Dog I don't know if I can successfully read this one without crying!
February 19, 2019
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Unique feature: I think a unique feature of this book is that it is teaching students about life in a way they can understand. I think all students can relate to the sky and it's features in this book. For example, when it is talking about storms it is talking about the hard times in life. I think any child can relate and learn about life through this book
Grades: K-8
Unique feature: I think a unique feature of this book is that it is teaching students about life in a way they can understand. I think all students can relate to the sky and it's features in this book. For example, when it is talking about storms it is talking about the hard times in life. I think any child can relate and learn about life through this book
Grades: K-8
April 22, 2018
This delightful book is the perfect bedtime story for little ones. It has beautiful illustrations and a wonderful message filled with hope and inspiration. It will fill your kids imagination with bliss as they slowly drift away to sleep.
September 19, 2019
Wow -- magnificent illustrations, and such a warm, uplifting message: "If you look up at the sky and there is no moon to fill it, don't be afraid. It is the sky telling you to be calm and patient. Good things will happen soon." <3
October 18, 2019
Look up to the sky and discover what the universe might be telling us...that we're unique, that we're where we should be, that things will happen and things will change. I want to memorize all the lovely words of wisdom within this book. The colorful images are a perfect match to the text. Ages 4-8
November 20, 2017
A visually beautiful book with a wonderful pattern story. After it my daughter looked up at the sky to decide what it meant.
May 19, 2018
A beautiful book with a beautiful message.
July 12, 2018
This was a unique and beautiful book. With its calming, reassuring message, it would make a really nice bedtime read-aloud.
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September 5, 2019This is such an inspirational book, and I like the art, too. My favorite page of text was with the Grand Canyon.
July 28, 2021
A lovely book about staying connected that would be a good read for the end of a school year or in times of grieving a loss. Pair with Always Remember or The Forever Sky.
May 20, 2022
Picture book with beautiful pictures. I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't grab me.
August 5, 2023
Love your book. Live in Bay Area. Also working with Beavers Pond. Would love to talk with you about your experience. Please e mail at Juleerichardson@hotmail.com.
Thanks Angela
Thanks Angela
November 2, 2024
The gift of the sky and connection...a beautiful story that touched my heart. Lovely illustrations paired with the words!
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November 15, 2017The right book in the right child’s hand has the power to transform that child forever. I imagine, in time, If You Look Up to the Sky by Angela Dalton will transform thousands, if not millions of children’s lives. This is a book for all to love, but it is especially a book for girls of color to love.
The story, inspired by Dalton’s own life and experiences, is about a young black girl whose grandmother teaches her that the sky and universe will always offer her love, protection, and guidance should she ever need it.
The words are words that every child deserves to hear:
If you look up to the sky
and see a star streak across the darkness
know that you are special and, like the star
there will never be another you
But Dalton’s voice is intended for the young girls who follow her—to lift them up and remind them of their singular beauty in the face of challenge, discrimination, and hardship.
Margarita Sikorskaia's illustrations are as magnificent as the story. Dark, dreamy and magical with flashes of light and luster, the images are the perfect container for holding and amplifying Dalton’s soothing words.
Picture books are tough—the best ones combine a compelling story with stunning design and illustration. Dalton and Sikorskaia teamed up to deliver something special—something I’ll keep in my picture book collection forever. Or, until I find the right child’s hand to place it in.
The story, inspired by Dalton’s own life and experiences, is about a young black girl whose grandmother teaches her that the sky and universe will always offer her love, protection, and guidance should she ever need it.
The words are words that every child deserves to hear:
If you look up to the sky
and see a star streak across the darkness
know that you are special and, like the star
there will never be another you
But Dalton’s voice is intended for the young girls who follow her—to lift them up and remind them of their singular beauty in the face of challenge, discrimination, and hardship.
Margarita Sikorskaia's illustrations are as magnificent as the story. Dark, dreamy and magical with flashes of light and luster, the images are the perfect container for holding and amplifying Dalton’s soothing words.
Picture books are tough—the best ones combine a compelling story with stunning design and illustration. Dalton and Sikorskaia teamed up to deliver something special—something I’ll keep in my picture book collection forever. Or, until I find the right child’s hand to place it in.
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