One Sky

by Aaron Becker

Marvel at the sky in this meditative die-cut book, a follow-up to You Are Light and My Favorite Color, from the Caldecott Honor–winning creator of the Journey trilogy.

Its dawn begins in darkness.
With hope we greet its light.

Within the pages of this elegant book is the entire sky. Lyrical text moves readers through the day, from dawn to dusk, while ink- and die-cut lines resembling stained glass arc across the pages like birds in flight. An encounter with the translucent, jewel-colored panes in this special board book offers a luminous reminder that, no matter the hour or the hue, we all dwell together under one magnificent sky.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

14 pages, Board Book

First published September 6, 2022

About the author

Aaron Becker has worked as an artist for such film studios as Lucasfilm, Disney, and Pixar, where he helped define the look and feel of characters, stories, and the movies they become a part of. With Journey, he has created characters and worlds of his very own, using traditional materials and techniques. Aaron Becker lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife, daughter, and cat. This is his first book.

"I’ve made several memorable journeys in my lifetime. I’ve lived in rural Japan and East Africa and backpacked through the South Pacific and Sweden. But to this day, my favorite destination remains my imagination, where you can often find me drawing secret doorways and magic lanterns." — Aaron Becker

Reviews

[Kathreadsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful children's book is so creative! The cuts of colored paper let the sun through to shine as you read through the story! Such a fun book!

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful board book with stained glass light and lovely text.

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/one-sky/

ONE SKY is a clever board book poem that combines lyrical writing with unique artwork. Most pages in the book feature cut-outs with colored sheer plastic that can be held up to the light for children to play with.

What I loved: This is a lyrically written poem with a line on each page that talk about the majesty of the sky and sun from dawn to dusk. It is lovely to read but remains secondary to the design that wraps around each page and plays with color. The unique cut-outs and sheer colored plastic windows do really give children something new to explore, and they can create something fun with light and color. The simplicity of the book makes it one that would be easy for children to play with independently.

The poem is short with only a few words on each page, which makes the book move quickly. For that reason and the board book format, it will work well for a wide range of young readers, and toddlers can also get into playing with the colors and light.

Final verdict: ONE SKY is a lovely board book featuring lyrical writing and fun plays on color.

[Bookish Mama Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get ready for an awesome adventure with "One Sky" by Aaron Becker! This book is like a magical telescope that lets you travel through the sky and discover amazing things all around the world. It's like a big, colorful puzzle that makes you feel like you're flying from page to page. So, if your child loves exploring and imagining, "One Sky" is the perfect book for them!

Thanks to Candlewick Press for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Becker's board books; the way he plays with windows and color in You are Light and My Favorite Color is so inspirational and fun. While I like the lyrical nature of One Sky, the windows make much less sense as they are all covered by the other pages, so you have to really stretch the page to pick up the subtle changes in color (which don't have a lot to do with the story).

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author-illustrator, Aaron Becker, presents the varied and beautiful colors of the sky organized by time of day. My favorite page is Dawn. The rhyming text is beautifully done and colorful translucent cutouts will be enjoyed by kiddos.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very pretty, if you make the effort to hold it all the way open to the light. I'm not sure how meaningful or resonant or inspirational it is. Will it help kids born into this scary world have hope? I dunno....

[Caroline K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really for young children. There is no real story to this, though the poem is a way to connect the colors in the book to different times of day. The colors in this book are pretty, but the book did not hold the attention of my young daughter as I expected a board book to.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, sing-song narrative—"Its dawn begins in darkness. / With hope we greet its light. / We waken to its morning breeze. / The sky grows clear and bright."—is paired with illustrations featuring the various colors of the day in this board book tribute to the changing beauty of the sky. Many of the pages feature die-cut holes covered with colored plastic that will allow the child reader to interact with the various hues on display...

Published in 2022, One Sky is the third of author/illustrator Aaron Becker's four conceptual board books, preceded by You Are Light and My Favorite Color and followed by Winter Light . It is the last of the four I have read, and shares a number of qualities with those other titles, including good overall design and pretty visuals. That being said, like those others, I didn't find it especially appealing or memorable, and in this specific case, also thought that the die-cut windows might be somewhat difficult for youngsters to navigate, as one only really appreciates their colorful impact when holding the book wide open, and lifting the specific page to the light. Despite thinking this had some good qualities, I'm not sure I would strongly recommend it as a board book, and think it's main audience is fans of Aaron Becker's artwork.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this companion board book to You Are Light and My Favorite Color, the concept of the sky as seen from dawn to dusk is explored. The goal is for the reader to experience the play of light as they read the playful poetic text. This is actively achieved by small cutouts from the board pages that are filled with opaque plastic that light passes through. As you turn the pages, the placement and color changes to reflect the time of day.

While the concept is overall challenging in its complexity, the beautiful presentation and use of color will engage even the youngest of readers. The text is its own poem that can stand alone, but the addition of the interactive visuals makes this a fun book for all ages. It also makes a great introduction to lessons and stories about the sky. I would recommend this for ages 2-6 as a board book.

I would recommend this book for purchase by elementary school and public libraries.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Angie Counsell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful colors in this book talking about the different colors that can be seen in the sky throughout the day. As a board book, its a little difficult to see the stained glass looking panels, but small children and babies will enjoy exploring them with their hands. The colors are very pretty and peaceful, but the abstract design does nothing to enhance the story. It is a bit abstract in the words as well, using very high vocabulary that won't make sense to the toddlers.

[Lisa Van Gemert | Gifted Guru · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cut-out design is so cool, and the colors so gorgeous, that you will forget it's a book for kids. Board books can be such works of art, and this is one of them.

The rhyming text tells the story of the sky. The illustrations are done with deeply saturated colors, and I think they may make for a very good art mentor text for elementary art teachers.

NOTE: I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no story here. This isn't really a story and it doesn't really work. I love Aaron Becker and this book didn't work for me. There are windows with color gels on some of the pages so the colors will change. This is about how the light during the day from dusk to dawn will change colors. Each page has a line of text.

Some kids might enjoy this, but I would think there aren't many. It's not exciting or interesting. It's all abstract.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love many of this author/artist's books, but I do not like this series. This one. I like the glowy colors. I like the impression of stain glass. But there was no real artwork. And the text was blah.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looks like a board book a sophisticated adult would want to have on their coffee table for the unborn baby, not a book to actually share with a young child. Needs more actual objects pictured rather than odd black lines across every page.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a concept with the stained glass window like insets I can see where this would get adult book critic interest, but I can't imagine it as a toddlers go to favorite. As a toddler's board book I don't feel the concept matches the intended audience.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Becker's illustrations are pretty as always, but this was a forgettable book. It is a companion to his books You Are Light and My Favorite Color - maybe would be more impactful if read all together.

[Kelly]

Meh. Not really great for the board book crowd as it is very abstract. Even says for ages 4-8 on the back.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely board book, good for a soothing pre nap read aloud.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little jewel of a board book, but I feel like we went from dawn to dusk way too quickly? Will share with art teacher.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the beauty of this brief rhyming poem and cut board illustrations. Pair with Laura Vaccaro Seeger books.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story wasn't captivating for our family like the artwork was.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine the target audience wouldn't ask parents to read it again, unless they're just in it for the abstract art.

[September · Rating 5 out of 5]

That took FOREVER
Cute book. Love it

[Lil Omaha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun board book with cut outs!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

a gentle baby and up book about the colors of the sky.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

[Jenae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous, calming book. Great for bedtime!