To Make the Sky

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Okay, the first thing, the absolutely first thing I need to say about this book is that the illustrations are some of the most beautiful illustrations I have ever seen in a book - children's or otherwise. They are so vibrant and so colorful. I also want to add that I love the rhyming. I home school and the two year old loved this book and reading the words he knew. In fact, he would ask, "More Penins?" Which is his way for asking for more penguins since there are penguins on the cover. I would recommend this book to all. It is a great story with a great message, the pictures...I cannot rave about them enough, and the book itself is just wonderful. 5 out 5 stars.

"To Make the Sky" is a beautifully illustrated book with vibrantly colored images. I really love the colorful drawings, from crisp penguins and a wonderfully shaggy buffalo to the more whimsical solar system and storms. The book tells the story of the early world coming together to choose a color for the sky. Many pages seem to be attempting iambic tetrameter, though the rhythm struggles in several places, both (I think) intentionally for dramatic effect and unintentionally, especially with added anapests, as in "a new young voice / was heard in the world." This, and the apostrophe error with "it's hues" about halfway through the book, make this book one I would unfortunately not give as a gift, though I do think the illustrations are show more spectacular. I would love to see this book, which I think has been self-published, lightly edited for form and meter (or turned into prose), proofread, and offered in an edition with these improvements. The heart of the book is lovely and the illustrations spectacular, but it would benefit from a little more production attention. show less

Beautiful illustrations. Story needs major work.
I love the pictures. The skies, animals, imagery -- they're all just stunning. The story, however, is cringe-y, putting a polar bear and Emperor penguin family in the same region. Polar bears are Arctic animals; penguins, Antarctic. I think with a little re-working of the plot (Why is the Sky Blue?), the story can be saved, but it would involve a reprinting. Maybe changing it to something like, "In the Arctic, a polar bear asked his mother... while in the Antarctic, a penguin chick asked her mother..." I can't endorse a story that will encourage incorrect habitat knowledge to children. Sorry!

To put it simply, this is a beautiful book. The illustrations alone make this book fantastic. My 4 year old, who can’t quite read yet, spent a long time just looking over the illustrations in the book and pointing out the different things in each image. As the adult reader, I loved the language used in the book and the creativity of the story. I also enjoyed that that every mentioned detail circled back to the baby penguin’s initial question. Overall, I’m honored that I was able to read and review this wonderful book. My 4 year old has already asked if we can read it again as a bed time story tonight, so I am ensured it will be a great addition to our home library.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Okay, the first thing, the absolutely first thing I need to say about this book is that the illustrations are some of the most beautiful illustrations I have ever seen in a book - children's or otherwise. They are so vibrant and so colorful. I also want to add that I love the rhyming. I home school and the two year old loved this book and reading the words he knew. In fact, he would ask, "More Penins?" Which is his way for asking for more penguins since there are penguins on the cover. I would recommend this book to all. It is a great story with a great message, the pictures...I cannot rave about them enough, and the book itself is just wonderful. 5 out 5 stars.

Soon after receiving this book this afternoon, I went to visit a neighbor who has a 5 year old little girl with whom I share a love a books. Of course I had this book with me- it is such a lovely and sweet little book! We spent an hour together reading and looking at the beautiful illustrations. I even learned a new word: cerulean! My little friend and I practiced, with a YouTube assist, saying the word.

to make the sky, written and illustrated by March Mattinly is just plain lovely. The story told not simply in words but in the illustrations that accompany the words. If all you do is read the words, it is a quick read. If you take time to look at the illustrations- well... my little friend and I took an hour with this book.

I highly show more recommend this book. I think it is a quiet time book, perhaps before bed, to share with a child. Beautiful sentiment and visuals to go to sleep with. show less

This is a cute picture book that features a mother penguin telling her child why the sky is blue. The illustrations are gorgeous! The art style helped create a wonderful atmosphere. However, I was a bit disappointed in the writing itself. It's done in rhyming poetry, which can be really fun, but a lot of times the syllables/rhythm was off in the individual stanzas and some of the rhymes seemed forced. Having said that, I think children would enjoy the book and again, the artwork is beautiful.