Every Color of Light: A Book About the Sky

by Hiroshi Osada, Ryōji Arai (Illustrator), David Boyd (Translator)

Every Color of Light opens on a lush, green forest in the rain. Illustrated by the masterful Ryoji Arai, the calm is shattered when the wind picks up and lightning cuts the sky. Yet out of this turbulence, the day blooms bright, the flowers open, and raindrops roll and drip down to the forest floor. The sun sets. The moon rises, and in a pool of water we see its reflection. We go to sleep with the forest, sinking into the pool, into the calm reflection of the moon. Harmonizing our human experience to the natural world, Arai invites the reader to hold imaginative space for our oneness with the natural world.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Childrens, Poetry, Art, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Hiroshi Osada was born in Fukushima City in 1939. He graduated from Waseda University in 1963. Two years later, he debuted as a poet with This Journey. In 1982, he receieved the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award for The Bookstore of the Century. In 1991, he won the Robō-no-ishi Literary Prize. In 1998, Osada was awarded the first Kuwabata Takeo Prize for The Making of Memories In 2000, his collaboration with Ryōji Arai, A Forest Picture Book earned the Kodansha Publishing Culture Award for Children's Literature. His second collaboration with Ryōji Arai, Every Color of Light, followed. He died in 2015.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Inevitably, lightning strikes.
Colors run across the leaves and swirl in the wind."

Beautifully written book. So artistic and full of colors swirling on each page. The author focused on landscape to tell a story of natural causes and the after effects, the boundless colors we take for granted.

"Setting, the light turns everything golden. Stilling the water shines golden."

My five year old loves painting and drawing. It is the only thing that seems to grab her and give her imagination. She has recently fallen in love with the late Bob Ross (R.I.P). She's amazed and tries to copy his mountains and colors.

This book reminded me of Bob Ross and his use of landscape and mesmerizing beauty told in a poetic form. I love this book for a bedtime story.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every Color of Light takes us right inside a rainstorm. The sky darkens. Rain falls. Lightning. Thunder. The storm is over. The sky brightens. Raindrops fall from leaves. Evening. The moon. Sparkling stars. Falling asleep.

There's an immediacy about this book that is lovely.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book feeling inspired and rejuvenated-- this book isn't so much of a story as it is an artist's representation of nature in different circumstances, like weather and time of day. These paintings are phenomenal, starting with a storm and ending with a peaceful, moonlit night. A quiet and beautiful treasure!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, thoughtful and beautiful.

[Rogue Male · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that this book will not be up for a Caldecott Medal (because it was first published in Japan) is a travesty. Because truly, the illustrations of bold brush strokes and an authentic color palette that depicts a piece of land during a thunderstorm....I felt I was THERE! This book isn't just about the sky...it is about the surroundings and what a storm can bring...both the harshness and the dawning of a new day. Or the storm breaking. I'm sure there is a metaphor in there somewhere.

[Ilias]

This is an extremely beautiful book!!! I really really loved the paintings; I would have loved them probably without the words, honestly? I feel like they gave such a sense of place without any actual location-specific images.

[Lainy122 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I read somewhere that less than 2% of books written in other languages get translated into English, and that number is even less when it comes to children's books.
I'm glad this one made it through. It was very beautiful, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to appreciate it.

[Care · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quiet, pensive, colorful, calming bedtime book with beautiful, painterly illustrations. No story, just soothing words.

[Becky Enright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story and beautiful illustrations

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly beautiful picture book about color and light during and after a rain storm. The senses are awakened reading this we hear the pitter patter and crash of the rain, see the brillant colors, feel and hear the wind whipping, see shimmering light after the storm, feel and see the air clearing....etc. Maybe the only sense we don't experience in the story is taste? Might be nice to talk about this after reading. The story ends with falling soundly asleep. Very simple text with a line per page or so. This is one of those books that spans over many ages. Audience is listed as 4-10. Could be read to as young as toddlers groups to younger school age to appreciate the art, with a preschool group being perfect. Adult would appreciate this. I know I did. Translated from Japanese. Really lovely.

[StephanieNicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The illustrations of a rain storm are beautiful - but abstract for a children's book. The story itself is just descriptions accompanying the artwork. This didn't entertain me, and I don't think most kids would find this captivating either unless they were really hooked on books about rain.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book explores how weather impacts the sky and its light. Starting with just a pitter patter of rain, the rain steadily grows heavier and louder. Soon the lightning cracks across the sky and thunder booms. Colors swirl in the storm as the wind rises. Just as suddenly, the rain stops and light returns to the sky. Raindrops form crystals in the sunlight. Evening comes, spreading colors across the sky. The white moon rises in the darkening sky. Stars sparkle above, the moon reflected in a pool as everyone falls asleep.

The text in this Japanese import is marvelously poetic. It speaks to the impact of a storm on the sky and on the light you see. The drama of the storm is captured in both the text and the illustrations, just as the returning calm is. Both are celebrated in the book, something quite unusual as the quiet is allowed to be truly focused on.

The illustrations are what sets this picture book apart. Illustrated with glorious paintings that show nature and the changing light, the book shimmers and shines. The changing light sweeps on the pages bringing sun shafts, pink lightning strikes, dark night, and a bright moon.

Unusual and intensely beautiful, this picture book beckons you outside to linger for awhile. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful painted in subdued colors, Ryoji Arai’s illustrations match the mood of Hioshi Osada’s simple, poetic description of a day (in David Boyd’s fine rendering)—from storm to clearing to nightfall—each of the day’s moods embracing broad swaths of color, even during the harshest of the rains. One’s eyes adjust to the color tones, after which details can be made out, suggesting both the range of colors and lushness of life and activity all around. The words are simple enough for most young children to read on their own, but they will probably be most fascinated by staring at the pictures. A good bed-time book too, no doubt.

[Kip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! While the text and art are not the typical bouncy bright picture book fodder — or even particularly memorable — they quietly get a sublime idea across: that light and color perception change with atmospheric conditions. This is the kind of book that enriches the way a child experiences the world — the takeaway is a durable idea, rather than a joke or particular scene. Love it, and would love to see more books like it.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book. A quiet reflective book that would be at home in a storytime or as a bedtime story. In nature somewhere, it is raining. The rain gradually becomes a thunderstorm, which turns into a sunset and then nightfall comes. The illustrations are enchanting, though unfortunately I did not see any artist notes as to the medium used. The text is sparse but fitting, letting the illustrations take the lead. A peaceful book about nature during and after the rain.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Color of Light follows a day from a dark rainstorm, to the light reappearing, a sunset, nightfall, the rise of the moon and the appearance of stars. Hiroshi Osada´s text is sparse, clear, and has a gentle poetic feel to it. Ryoji Arai´s illustrations are like impressionistic paintings. I want to have every page of this book hung in my house. This book would make a great read-aloud for a story time about light, night, or rain.

[Jane]

A round of applause for Claudia Bedrick of Enchanted Lion Press. She finds the most interesting, game-changing picture books from around the world and brings them to an American audience. Here's a magnificent example: a Japanese meditation on rain. The text reads like Haiku; the pictures expand the story into Panavision, wide-screen gorgeousness. Such simplicity, such complexity, such beauty!

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

More a work of art than a story, this gorgeous book takes the reader on a journey through a storm, a sunset, and an evening. Lots of light and color transport the reader into the thunderstorm, practically letting the reader hear the storm through the illustrations. First published in Japan and translated into English.

[JoAnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three-line review: The sky goes through a wild spectrum of colors with the advent of a rainstorm. This picture book depicts that array of colors with scratchy illustrations that are intriguing but that don’t feel inviting. I always appreciate an invitation to look at nature more holistically, though.

[Audrey | WellReadandUndead(ish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a visually STUNNING book. It would be a perfect way to introduce how powerful abstract/impressionist painting can be to young children. With a simple story that follows the natural flow of the day, each painting brings that time of day alive. My two favorite pages were after the storm clears and raindrops fall from leaves and the sun starting to set and turning everything golden.

[Zachary Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’re all
falling
falling
soundly
soundly
asleep
asleep…”

Man children’s books go hard. This was a really calming read about how quickly the weather changes and how the constant oscillation between gorgeous sunny skies and dark storms is actually quite beautiful. LOVED the art in this one - would easily hang any of these pages up on my walls. Good stuff here

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started showing up on “best books” lists for 2020, and I’m happy to say at least one of the lists was not specifically a children’s list. This translation of a Japanese picture book shows the beauty of the sky over the course of a day in a brilliant display of color and light.

[SL · Rating 4 out of 5]

The! Illustrations! I am blown away by how visually beautiful this book is. The illustrations done by Ryōji Arai definitely carry and elevate Hiroshi Osada's poetic words. Honestly, if the book didn't have the illustrations, I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful book about color and light during and after a rainstorm. Would be a glorious read sitting on a porch in the rain, and as a way to gently turn a reader's attention to the beauty of the world around us.

Translated from Japanese.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can appreciate that the art in this book is beautiful (even though it isn't my personal favorite art style) but I just don't see many children getting into this book. It goes in that genre of picture books meant more for adults than children.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning illustrations. The text was okay. I bet it was amazing in Japanese, which I know has wonderful onomatopoeias. I felt like something was being lost in translation there.

Will likely be cracking open that book again just to enjoy the illustrations this week...

[Adri is Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quiet, lyrical, poetic book. Uses repetition and onomatopoeia. Except for the opening and closing, a single scene fills each two page spread with the words low at the bottom - like looking at a series of paintings. Quite lovely.

[mulki · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books that is impossible to finish. You read it, look at it, rather. Poetry plus beautiful images. And then you can open it any time to travel inside the rain and the sunset again. Can you ever finish an art piece, say, in a museum? In the same way, you cannot finish a book like this.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words are very simple and sparse. What makes this picture book so amazing is the illustrations. The way the artist blends colors is amazing. I've always been a fan of impressionist styles of art, and this is exquisite.