Every Color of Light

Gentle and lyrical, Every Color of Light is a bedtime story told by the elements.

Every Color of Light opens on a lush, green forest in the rain. Illustrated by the masterful Ryoji Arai, the calm is shattered when the wind picks up and lightning cuts the sky. Yet out of this turbulence, the day blooms bright, the flowers open, and raindrops roll and drip down to the forest floor. The sun sets. The moon rises, and in a pool of water we see its reflection. We go to sleep with the forest, sinking into the pool, into the calm reflection of the moon. Harmonizing our human experience to the natural world, Arai invites the reader to hold imaginative space for our oneness with the natural world.

Pages: 40

Ages 2-8

Written by Hiroshi Osada

Illustrated by Ryoji Arai

Praise:

"By employing landscapes in lieu of human or animal characters, Osada and Arai ask readers to look - really look - at the rain, the way the changing weather transforms the visible spectrum, and the magnificence of the night sky, phenomena all too often unseen in a hurry-up world. The result is a story that sharpens the senses and quiets the soul." -STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

“Osada’s sensory text is written in a satisfyingly economical and precise manner. Sprinkled throughout the text is punchy, onomatopoeic language, such as ‘boom, bah-bah-BOOM!’ for thunder. Arai’s lush, atmospheric landscape art is remarkably textured, with what appear to be scratches in the art for the driving rain. Appropriately, the palette is the star of the show; readers see every mood of Mother Nature and her corresponding colors: all shades of green imaginable; warm pastel shades of light filling the sky; vivid, golden, post-rain hues. There’s a subtle moment of whimsy when “stars…share their stories,” and readers see small shapes in the night sky (a squirrel, a saxophone). Colors fade with the children listening: ‘We’re all / falling / … / soundly / … / asleep….’ Simply spectacular.”—STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews