The Deep Blue Sea: A Book of Colors - Hardcover

Wood, Audrey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439753821 ISBN 13: 9780439753821

Publisher: The Blue Sky Press, 2005

Synopsis

Bestselling author Audrey Wood and artist son Bruce create a cumulative concept book about colors, with more of the vivid imagery that has made their alphabet books so successful!

Readers will love learning their colors with this brightly illustrated, cumulative picture book by bestselling author Audrey Wood and her dynamic, digital-artist son, Bruce. Starting with a rock, a red rock, in the middle of the deep blue sea, the story takes a closer look at this tropical locale. The simple, repetitive text makes for a fun read-aloud for storytime or sharing, and identifying the vivid images and strong colors provides an exciting concept learning experience for young readers.

About this title

About the Author

Audrey Wood has been writing award-winning children's books for more than thirty years, and she is a fourth-generation artist. She often collaborates with her husband, Caldecott Honor illustrator Don Wood (THE NAPPING HOUSE; KING BIDGOOD'S IN THE BATHTUB; IT'S DUFFY TIME!), and she created many bestselling books with their son, Bruce Wood (ALPHABET MYSTERY; TEN LITTLE FISH). Audrey has illustrated numerous popular books herself, including SILLY SALLY, A DOG NEEDS A BONE, and BLUE SKY (2012). She lives with her husband in Hawaii, under the blue sky, rain sky, and changing-all-day sky.

As a fifth-generation professional artist, I grew up with art all around me – in the studios of my parents and grandparents. I have always been very interested in art – it always seemed like a lot of fun.

One of the major advantages of growing up in a family of artists is the support you receive while learning your art form. It was also a unique experience. One year for my birthday, my parents made me a kid-sized cardboard castle out of refrigerator boxes in our backyard. It took me a few years to realize that not all my friends' parents were as creative as mine.

My initial interest in digital art came about at a young age. I started using Commodore 64's when I was eleven or twelve, and by age thirteen, I could do basic programming. Since then, I was always interested in how companies made computer games, and I think that's what ultimately led me to 3-D design.

In 1991, I attended the California Institute of the Arts, where I studied drama and advanced my interest in art created on the computer. Then, in 1993, I decided to enroll in the innovative San Francisco State Multimedia Center, where I pursued my long-standing interest in designing computer programs by studying animation and 3-D modeling.

This year I joined my family's creative team and illustrated my first book, The Christmas Adventure of Space Elf Sam. The book took me over two years to make, and it was a true family collaboration. My mom wrote the story and my dad, Don Wood, functioned as art director.

I love telling stories with my art, and picture books are just that. And of course, I love seeing the face of a young child, sitting on a bookstore floor, completely immersed in a book that I have created.

Aside from being a children's book illustrator, I also surf, snowboard, and sail, which means that I do get to see the sun sometimes.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2–Sharply focused, vividly hued artwork makes this concept book a standout. On each full-bleed spread, the cumulative text introduces a new color: There's the sea, the deep blue sea is followed by There's a rock, a red rock in the middle of the deep blue sea. As the pictures zoom in closer to the rock, readers see a green tree, brown nut, purple parrot, orange butterfly, etc. Then a white cloud turns to gray, the yellow sun disappears, and it begins to rain. The final pages show the rock and all of its colorful inhabitants encircled by a rainbow. The rhythmic text is enticing and reads aloud smoothly. There are enough surprises to hold listeners' attention, and the language is simple enough for beginning readers. The digitally created illustrations are elegantly designed. Shadows and textures give the images a sense of movement. Children who look closely will see fish darting beneath the rippled sea, the reflection of the sun on the water's surface, and the nuances of the palm tree's trunk. Different shades of each hue are incorporated into the pictures, creating visual interest and showing youngsters that there are variations of colors. The words are printed in black, with the name of each color appearing in the appropriate hue. A real treat.–Joy Fleishhacker,School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PreS. Following beginning concept books such as Alphabet Adventure 2001) and Ten Little Fish (2004), this fourth title from the mother-son team introduces basic colors with the neon-bright hues of the tropics. Bruce Wood's dimensional, computer-generated artwork shows a tiny desert island--a rock, really--in the middle of a deep blue sea. The simple, cumulative text adds a new object, and a new color, with each spread: a green tree, a brown nut, a purple parrot, and an orange butterfly all appear, before a white cloud turns gray, a storm drenches the rock, and a rainbow forms. This isn't a necessary purchase, but the uncluttered spreads, brilliant colors, and tropical setting, populated with a few winsome creatures, will draw toddlers who are beginning to tackle the basics. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: The Blue Sky Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0439753821
• ISBN 13: 9780439753821
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Wood Bruce
• Number of pages: 40