From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–Young Katie, who is "feeling gray," gazes at a colorful painting on the wall and decides that it looks "like a much better place to be." To cheer herself up, she puts on bright clothing, starting with a green hat, then yellow tights, blue shoes, and a pink dress. The more color she adds, the bigger her smile becomes. Next, she puts on red lipstick, paints her face blue to match her shoes, and paints orange stripes on her arms. Suddenly, something magical happens. Katie sprouts wings and flies into the painting, where she spends her afternoon frolicking with the colorful birds, until reassuringly, "…it was time to fly home for her bath!" The mixed-media illustrations perfectly capture Katie's transformation from a totally gray-outlined figure to a brightly hued creature with patterned feathers. The action is neatly contained within gray lined rectangles until Katie's transformation, when splashes of color push their way into the cream-colored borders. As she enters the painting, the illustrations become full bleed, conveying a sense of freedom and action. Told at just the right pace, this whimsical story presents a gentle reminder of the power of a child's imagination. The large text and brief sentences invite beginning readers along for the adventure.
–Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 1. When young Katie gets up she's feeling gray--literally--but that changes after she decides to put color back in her life. First, it's a green hat, then yellow tights, blue shoes, and pink dress. But that's not enough for Katie. Her lips are painted a shiny red; her face is colored blue like her shoes. Orange stripes are brushed on her arms, and there's purple paint on her nails. Once all the colors dry, they turn "flighty" and "fizzling" until Katie erupts out of the whirlwind as a bird in full plumage, frolicking with the birds until it's time to fly home for her bath. Children will be engaged by the artwork--neatly framed pictures that eventually burst into a mixed-media multihued whirl full of stars and small wheels. The cover art, featuring Katie with lusciously colored wings, gives a hint of what is to come.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
