Hiroshi OsadaCritiques

This might not seem like a funny book at first, but the ending made me howl with laughter.

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.

A true "Everybody" book, or as we're calling the new section in our library, a "Literary Picture Book." Arai's illustrations could easily stand alone as works of art, appreciated in depth by adults, and by children as vividly exciting colors and textures. Osada's poetic prose is a fine accompaniment. A story of light and color more than sky as the cycle of rain plays out over a day in a forest. One of my favorite paintings is of the lightning - "Boom, bah-bah-BOOM!" - against a red-orange sky, vivid and lively. "Every Color of Light" is an art poem.