Blue Sky (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Blue Sky Hope Morrison Wood, Audrey . Blue Sky; written and illus. by Audrey Wood. Blue Sky/Scholastic, 2012. [32p]. ISBN 978-0-545-31610-1 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs. This simple concept book explores the various and ever-changing types of sky, with each spread offering a different characterization ("Blue sky"; "Rain sky"; "Sunset sky"; etc.) and bringing it vividly to life in the oil pastel illustrations. The sequence follows the course of a day, beginning with the titular blue sky and ending with dawn of the following day ("New sky"). The book emphasizes the changeability of the sky, with one spread depicting a midday "sun sky" ablaze in bright yellow, the following ("Sunset sky") bathed in deep orange, and the next ("Dark sky") awash in deep purple. The illustrations provide young listeners (and even burgeoning readers) with lots of visual impetus to guess what word is used for each sky shot. Additionally, the book offers a tacit encouragement for kids to pay attention to the world around them, a practice exemplified by the recurring figure of a boy with a toy monkey, who quietly observes the sky in each spread. This provides plenty of opportunity to initiate discussion about types of sky and perhaps to call on young people to add other types to the list, either with words or compositions of their own, and even to branch out into their own descriptive projects. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois