Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!
There’s nothing like days on end of temperatures in the single digits to make me think about summer 🙂 So today’s book is about a summer thunderstorm which clears off into a starry night. I hope you’ll enjoy this pretty, pretty book!
Title: Blue On Blue
Written By: Dianne White
Illustrated By: Beth Krommes
Beach Lane Books, December 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: publisher says 5-8, I think younger would enjoy too.
Themes/Topics: poetry, weather (thunderstorms), nature, colors
Opening: “Cotton clouds. Morning light. Blue on blue. White on white. Singing, swinging outdoor play. White on blue on sunny day.”
Brief Synopsis: This lovely book shows both the course of a family’s day on a New England farm from morning through bedtime, and the change of weather from a sunny morning, through darkening clouds, to rain and thunder, and finally clearing skies, sunset, and a “silver night.”
Links To Resources: Color Lesson Plans (Marble Art, Beautiful Butterfly Prints, Awesome Octopus, Trying Out Art); make your own scratchboards; Weather for Kids. You could also make your own art projects based on the descriptions in the story (e.g. cotton clouds on blue sky).
Why I Like This Book: This is such a lovely book! The story is simple, but poetic. It takes you through a child’s day, and includes elements of color, weather, and life on a New England farm (including animals :)). The day starts out sunny, but a storm comes up. The child hides under the covers during the worst of the storm, but after the rain stops, the child, the puppy, and the little piggies have a wonderful time in the mud 🙂 The story finishes with a bath outside for the puppy, and a bath inside for the child, and sweet dreams under a starry night. The lyrical, rhyming language is fun to read aloud, and the rhythm of the language mimics the rhythm of rain dripping, then pounding, then lightening, and finally stopping. The scratchboard and watercolor art, done by Caldecott Medalist Beth Krommes, is absolutely gorgeous. I encourage you to check this one out!
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! I can’t wait to see what you’ve chosen this week!
Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
This one finds me singing the 60s ballad Blue On Blue! Sounds like a wonderful pick. Sending smiles from the south!
I love the lyrical language of this one, and the illustrations are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing, Susanna – I will look for it!
I have heard so much about this book – am putting it on hold at my library! It looks fabulous! And the language is so lyrical. Thanks for sharing it.
Looking forward to finding this one and I like the resources you share.
Why do I keep thinking I've read this before? I'm pretty sure I haven't and I need to. The art is so neat! Reminds me of Lois Lensky's stuff.
Happy Friday and weekend, Susanna (or should I call you Ms. Subtlety? Hah!).
This looks LOVELY. Definitely adding it to my “must read” books. We've been mighty cold, too. Summer books sound FABULOUS!
Like the sound of this quiet picture book. The illustrations look wonderful. Great resources.
Oh! A pretty book indeed! And a tale with Rhythm is just my kind of tale!!!!
I know I”ve heard this one before. I'll be sure to look it up. Sounds fabulous for this winter weather. 🙂
Thank you for the breath of summer, Susanna…we've had some pretty cold weather here also…the other day it was -4…YIKES!
I love the illustrations in this book…kind of retro…reminds me of the older classics.
What a gorgeous find, Susanna. I need to check this one out from our children's library. And it is about my favorite part of the US. The illustrations remind me of another illustrator from the 50's and 60's. . .cant remember the book or the name. Arrgh! So great to see you in the 12×12 lineup!! This week, I'm revising to beat the band. 😜
Love the clouds in the first spread you show here! Hope you get a surge in temps soon!
I find those illustrations so very charming.
This looks lovely, Susanna! I will definitely check it out soon. Have a wonderful weekend!
I do love rhyming picture books and this one has such lovely art. Thanks for telling me about it. I just ordered it from my library.
I just came upon this book yesterday at my library, The illustrations are amazing! And I was just thinking about reviewing it too! It's a beautiful book!
What a lovely book, Susanna. Great pick! Artwork looks beautiful and I love the clipped verse and rhythm of it.
I know, it's so deceptively simple but lovely – one of those “I wish I wrote that” books 🙂
It IS beautiful, isn't it, Lauri? So appealing on so many level!
I hope you like it, Rosi – I think it's just wonderful!
It really is a lovely book, Randi 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
OMG! You are TEMPTING me, Jilanne! (And because geography is not my strong point, where is Asilomar? :))
Have a look at the YouTube video in the resources – it shows you how to make your own scratchboard 🙂
I know, aren't they wonderful? You should see the little piggies 🙂
I know, Julie – the clouds really do look like cotton 🙂 And I hope we do too, although it is currently 1!
You will love it, Rhythm – there are puppies in it too 🙂
I'm glad you like the book, Jarm! I love it 🙂 And good for you with all the revising! I saw a few of your comments in ReViMo and it sounds like you're making great progress! 🙂
I am SO ready for spring… too bad it's not likely to arrive in our neck of the woods until mid-April! But maybe we'll get some springy days in March 🙂 Glad you like the book – you're right – it does have a retro look. It reminds me of something… Millions of Cats, maybe? (although the colors are very different…)
It is, Clar! It's a lovely reminder of warmer days! 🙂
Thanks, Pat! And I'm so happy you can comment! 🙂
It IS lovely, Joanne! Just wait til you see it… and read it – it's so well done! And yes, I'm thinking maybe I should re-think my upcoming PPBF choices and choose all books about the beach 🙂
Yes, definitely call me Ms. Subtlety 🙂 It really suits me, don't you think? 🙂 This book is pretty new… only came out about a month ago… so you might not have seen it yet, but it's definitely worth a look!
Absolutely….I have just ordered one for me 🙂
I don't know that ballad – I'll have to look for it! And right now I'm wishing I was IN the south 🙂
Requested it from my library – hopefully will get it by this time next week. Hoping it arrives on a day when temps are below zero LOL
🙂
🙂
Yes, many of those early pbs…from the 30's and 40's…Mike Mulligan, The Little House…very Virginia Lee Burton. 🙂 And spring, except for the odd day of sunny thaw, will not visit us here till mid-April either. 😉 But the woods with a layer of snow are beautiful…calming and pleasing to the eye, mind and heart. 🙂
In Carmel, California. Check it out: http://www.visitasilomar.com/
I've seen the chocolate whisperer there. 😀
Thanks!
Thanks. I revised all seven days. Whew. . .I'm exhausted!
Well done! Congratulations! 🙂
That is so true, and such an important way to look at it if you're going to live where we live! 🙂
Oh, that sounds lovely! And if the chocolate whisperer is there, I must certainly hustle on out 🙂
Stop making me feel cold! That's not nice! 😉 Great pick! 😀
It's not Blue On Blue like blue with cold, Erik! It's like summer 🙂 It's probably tropical in PA compared to NY!
I have this book and agree with Susanna. Both the text and the illustrations are lovely, and there are things in the illustrations for children to find for themselves and point out.
I'm so glad you like it too, Sydney! 🙂
How nice to think of spring in this cold weather! There's something calming in those lovely illustrations.
I love this book and the pictures are absolutely stunning and captivating 🙂