• Age: 5 to 9
• Grade: k to 4

The sky’s no limit as the author-illustrator of The Dot and Ish winds up his Creatrilogy with a whimsical tale about seeing the world a new way.

Marisol loves to paint. So when her teacher asks her to help make a mural for the school library, she can’t wait to begin! But how can Marisol make a sky without blue paint? After gazing out the bus window and watching from her porch as day turns into night, she closes her eyes and starts to dream. . . . From the award-winning Peter H. Reynolds comes a gentle, playful reminder that if we keep our hearts open and look beyond the expected, creative inspiration will come.

Peter H. Reynolds' profile page

Peter H. Reynolds is a New York Times best-selling illustrator who has created many acclaimed books for children. In addition to his Creatrilogy — The Dot, Ish, and now Sky Color — he is the author-illustrator of Rose’s Garden, The North Star, and So Few of Me and the illustrator of Megan McDonald’s Judy Moody and Stink series. Born in Canada, Peter H. Reynolds now lives in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Besides encouraging children to paint what they actually see rather than repeating the visual conventions they’ve learned, this original offering frames an apparent problem as a challenge with a simple solution. Rounding out the picture book series that began with THE DOT (2003), this fresh, whimsical picture book encourages the artist and the creative thinker in every child.
—Booklist (starred review)

Reynolds’s characteristically wispy and loose mixed-media art makes judicious use of color in a way that accentuates Marisol’s creativity. Once again, Reynolds’s message is to think outside the box, and Marisol’s efforts should encourage readers to do just that.
—Publishers Weekly

Fans of Reynolds will enjoy the succinct language enhanced by illustrations in pen, ink, watercolor, gouache and tea. Share this feel-good title with those who love art and those who can appreciate the confidence-building triumph of solving a problem on one’s own—creatively.
—Kirkus Reviews

Once again Reynolds has fashioned a gratifying tale for the artist within us. His hand-lettered text and illustrations rendered in pen, ink, watercolor, gouache, and tea create a unique picture book...This is truly a picture book that should be shared with audiences of all ages. (Highly Recommended)
—Library Media Connection

This story, along with Reynolds’s The Dot (2003) and Ish (2004, both Candlewick), carries the important message that there is an artist inside everyone and that sometimes finding that creative spark means doing the unexpected. In these days of filling in circles on tests, it’s an important message to share with youngsters.
—School Library Journal

Like its predecessors, Sky Color is all warmhearted, multihued sweetness.
—New York Times online

Reynolds is a pro at creating books about art, and each one feels fresh and new. Each captures an artist's sense of inspiration. And each one makes us want to pick up a brush, too.
—Young Children Magazine