Robert Raczka

This book is about a boy named Niko who carries around his paper and colored pencils everywhere he went. He draws what he sees or feels to be clear. He would draw the feeling of everything like “warmth, hard work, sound.” When he would show other people his work, they wouldn’t understand it. Until this one girl who just moved into the neighborhood came along. She knew just what his drawings meant and how they felt. They became friends and were very happy. I like how the illustrator was show more very clear with his drawings and made several pages with just his drawings on there. It gave the reader an opportunity to see what the characters were seeing. This was a very creative and deep book. show less

I think this book is great because it shows how drawing can explain how someone is feeling. For example, maybe blue can feel sad or scribbles can be confused. I liked this book because it also showed that even if no one understands you or you think different than other people, you can still be happy to be unique.

Well, I like, and 'get,' quite a bit of abstract art, but I wouldn't immediately be able to match exactly what Niko feels with each drawing he makes, as Iris does.

I also am surprised that nobody else Niko knows understands abstract art at all... again, even if they don't quite see that this drawing is the warmth of the sun and this is the bird's hard work, they should get the idea as well as I do. That is to say, I don't find the naivety of everyone plausible.

Otoh, maybe the point is that show more elementary schools need to fund the 'extras' and have art specialist teachers, so that Niko and Iris can find their tribe and the others can at least recognize that abstract art is a real thing.

In any case, charming book. Some will consider it beautiful, some know that it is important to their students or children... so I'm rounding up to four stars. show less

Niko is an artist who carries paper and colored pencils with him everywhere, and draws what he sees, but no one truly understands his drawings until a new neighbor, Iris, moves in. She's able to intuit not only what Niko has drawn, but what he feels as well, and an understanding is born.

See also: In A Jar by Deborah Marcero, The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock, Sensitive by Sara Levine, A Map Into the World by Kao Kalia Yang, A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey