Caldecott and Printz Honor-winning illustrator Jillian Tamaki brings us a poetic exploration of colour and nature from a young child’s point of view. They Say Blue follows a young girl as she contemplates colours in the known and the unknown, in the immediate world and the world beyond what she can see. The sea looks blue, yet water cupped in her hands is as clear as glass. Is a blue whale blue? She doesn’t know — she hasn’t seen one.

Stunningly beautiful illustrations flow from one spread to the next, as time passes and the imagination takes hold. The world is full of colour, and mystery too, in this first picture book from a highly acclaimed artist.

Canadian Author

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!  Let’s start with the book jacket.  Chad W. Beckerman and Jillian Tamaki did a fantastic job with the book jacket. It’s quaint and whimsical and right away, I saw my daughter shooing birds at the beach.  The watercolour format is a perfect choice. If you remove the book jacket, you are bombarded with vibrant colors of the rainbow.

Inside you’re immediately introduced to the main character who is just adorable and she is surrounded by an array of gorgeous watercolors in shades of blue… with the main character plunked right in the middle.  The book continues on exposing more and more colors to the reader using bright, carefree strokes and fun illustrations; and then, eventually returns to the color of blue as the story wraps up.  I fell in love with the talent of this author for both her story and the illustrations that accompany her work.  The story is perfect for a picture book where young children are learning to read and enjoy reading along with a parent.  The wording is age appropriate, simplistic and takes children on a journey of life and color and how beautiful our planet truly is. This book is filled with love from cover to cover.

It’s a large hardcover book perfect for the lap.  I can’t say enough about this book.

I gave it: