Joy Jones | Sawyer Cloud | Free Spirit Publishing | October 29, 2024
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Have you looked up at the sky lately—really looked? You will after reading this book.
During the first days of autumn, the weather can be cool, warm, hot, sunny, cloudy, and drizzly—all on the same day! As the weather changes, so does the sky. This is the perfect time of year for a book like The Sky Is Not Blue, a debut picture book by Joy Jones.
Robert is an elementary school student. He is creative and notices all the many colors around him, from “every shade of green he saw in a tree” to “the sunny yellow of an egg yolk.” Mrs. Murphy is the teacher in Robert’s diverse and multicultural classroom. She is an “everything has a place” type of teacher, believing that “things need to be neat and in order, in order to learn neat, new things.”
One rainy day, it was too wet for the class to go outside for recess, so Mrs. Murphy let them color instead. Robert wanted to draw what he saw outside, beginning with the sky. Mrs. Murphy, trying to be helpful, placed a blue marker on his desk because, of course, the sky should be blue. But Robert didn’t use it. You see, Robert knows that “on a wet fall day, the sky is not blue.” There are mushy grays and silver streaks flashing through the clouds. And what about the sky on a wintry day, at sunset? Robert invites the reader to take a look right now!
The Sky Is Not Blue is a fantastic read-aloud picture book, exploring many themes that foster curiosity and wonder. Young readers—and adults too—are encouraged to look around and see the magnificent colors, not just of the sky, but every part of the world. Sawyer Cloud’s illustrations exceptionally capture the essence of the story, and children will love the vibrancy of the sky and other features. For teachers, parents, and engaged caregivers, you can find extra information and fun facts at the back of the book.
We would like to thank Joy Jones for gifting our organization a copy of The Sky Is Not Blue. We paid it forward by passing it along to Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ award-winning Books and Bowties literacy series. Watch them read it here.
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Ages: Picture books are for everyone!
Pages: 36
Favorite Line: “The colors of the sky make me feel as happy as confetti and as free as a bouncy balloon.”
Themes: curiosity, wonder, truth, teacher-student, weather, colors, creativity, nature, and science
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