What do you think?
Rate this book
Creatrilogy
Sky Color
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.
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.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 28, 2012
About the author
Peter H. Reynolds
218 books957 followersPeter Hamilton Reynolds is an author and illustrator of children's books and is the co-Founder and CEO of educational media company FableVision.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 425 reviews
November 15, 2019
Inspiring book about showing and telling how you see the world because your sky may not be blue. Encourages creativity, imagination, and new ways of seeing things.
March 11, 2018
I want an art gallery for myself now. This one is full of inspiration. Marisol adores painting and decides to paint the sky. The blue color is unavailable. Will she figure out how to draw the sky without blue?
February 13, 2013
I loved Ish and The Dot by this author; this book is considered the third of the three in “his Creatrilogy” series, according to the inside front cover of the book. And I love this book too.
It reminds me so strongly of when, as a child, I was first introduced to modern art, and would see multiple colors in faces, blue in hair, multi-colored dots that looked different close up than far away, and how it all worked. I enjoyed seeing that art then, and I enjoyed the story and art in this book.
I love Marisol, and love her name too. I like how her problem solving and creativity and “research” were shown. I appreciate her activism and how she cares about things. I love her kitty, though the cat does not have a big role. I also like the humor in the story.
I am a fan of the artwork, especially how color is used, its presence and its absence, and really enjoyed the final mural. I like how the book was hand-lettered by the author, and I enjoy seeing the media used: pen, ink, watercolor, gouache, and tea, and appreciate that the materials are listed. I always like having that information when I read picture books.
I particularly got a kick out of the end page, the copyright page, which also has the author-illustrator’s dedication. The dedication makes it obvious that Marisol’s dilemma is based on a real life incident in the author-illustrator’s life.
This is a wonderful book to encourage creativity in readers/listeners. Kids who enjoy art and making art, and who might feel a bit different or see things differently from others in some way are likely to particularly appreciate this book.
It reminds me so strongly of when, as a child, I was first introduced to modern art, and would see multiple colors in faces, blue in hair, multi-colored dots that looked different close up than far away, and how it all worked. I enjoyed seeing that art then, and I enjoyed the story and art in this book.
I love Marisol, and love her name too. I like how her problem solving and creativity and “research” were shown. I appreciate her activism and how she cares about things. I love her kitty, though the cat does not have a big role. I also like the humor in the story.
I am a fan of the artwork, especially how color is used, its presence and its absence, and really enjoyed the final mural. I like how the book was hand-lettered by the author, and I enjoy seeing the media used: pen, ink, watercolor, gouache, and tea, and appreciate that the materials are listed. I always like having that information when I read picture books.
I particularly got a kick out of the end page, the copyright page, which also has the author-illustrator’s dedication. The dedication makes it obvious that Marisol’s dilemma is based on a real life incident in the author-illustrator’s life.
This is a wonderful book to encourage creativity in readers/listeners. Kids who enjoy art and making art, and who might feel a bit different or see things differently from others in some way are likely to particularly appreciate this book.
January 8, 2013
Look up. What color is the sky? What color would you paint the sky if there was no blue to be found? No blue paint, no blue crayons.
Marisol must paint the sky for her library’s new mural, but she cannot find the blue paint. She must come up with a way to show the world the sky in a new way. New color. The sky isn’t blue all the time.
Sky Color is a beautiful, sweet, inspirational tale filled with imagination and color that will have readers looking at the world in a whole new light. A book that will inspire readers to look beyond the sky-is-blue-grass-is-green view of the world.
Peter Reynolds is a favorite of mine. He presents clear, simple, wonderful messages filled with heart. Marisol’s journey and search for color will inspire young artists and non-artists. I can’t draw a stick, but I found myself digging out my crayons after reading this book. Just to mix, match, and swirl a color or two around.
Have your crayons ready!
Btw…A fresh box of crayons is one of my favorite smells in the world. Soooo many memories captured in that smell. :)
November 19, 2018
آخ
چرا وقتی ما بچّه بودیم این کتاب ها دم دستمان نبود؟
حیف از عمر تباه شده برای گنجیدن در چهارچوب ها...
چرا وقتی ما بچّه بودیم این کتاب ها دم دستمان نبود؟
حیف از عمر تباه شده برای گنجیدن در چهارچوب ها...
June 27, 2026
In a Nutshell: A beautiful picture book about thinking beyond the box. Cute story and gorgeous illustrations. Recommended!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
This is a lovely story that is delightful to the mind and the heart.
Mirasol is a wonderful lead in so many ways. I love how the book establishes her personality first by showing how she shares her art with others. And later, when she learns about the missing blue paint, we also learn how calm she is in the face of uncertainty. She doesn’t cry or throw a tantrum or yell or accuse. She merely contemplates the matter and starts thinking of a solution. A worthy attitude to have.
Mirasol’s solution is simple but very effective. It shows how most problems can be solved if we start thinking of workable alternatives instead of insisting on the original plan. The importance of flexibility in planning is often underestimated. The story also highlights how we often take some common things for granted without really opening our eyes to them.
The illustrations are also a treat, which shouldn’t come as a surprise for a book centred around art. Surprisingly, the colours are somewhat minimal in most of the pages, with the foreground art mostly in monochrome. There are only teensy splashes of colour here and there. As such, when Mirasol finally figures out how to paint the sky, the resultant mural appears even more striking in its vivid hues.
Definitely recommended. This would be a wonderful book to have in homes as well as classrooms (for discussions on creative thinking), suiting readers aged 4-8 years.
4.25 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
A little girl named Marisol loves to share her art with the world. So when the opportunity comes to paint a mural for the school library, she is an enthusiastic volunteer. She has chosen the paint the sky for the mural, but she soon realises that the colour box has no blue paint. How can she colour the sky without blue?
This is a lovely story that is delightful to the mind and the heart.
Mirasol is a wonderful lead in so many ways. I love how the book establishes her personality first by showing how she shares her art with others. And later, when she learns about the missing blue paint, we also learn how calm she is in the face of uncertainty. She doesn’t cry or throw a tantrum or yell or accuse. She merely contemplates the matter and starts thinking of a solution. A worthy attitude to have.
Mirasol’s solution is simple but very effective. It shows how most problems can be solved if we start thinking of workable alternatives instead of insisting on the original plan. The importance of flexibility in planning is often underestimated. The story also highlights how we often take some common things for granted without really opening our eyes to them.
The illustrations are also a treat, which shouldn’t come as a surprise for a book centred around art. Surprisingly, the colours are somewhat minimal in most of the pages, with the foreground art mostly in monochrome. There are only teensy splashes of colour here and there. As such, when Mirasol finally figures out how to paint the sky, the resultant mural appears even more striking in its vivid hues.
Definitely recommended. This would be a wonderful book to have in homes as well as classrooms (for discussions on creative thinking), suiting readers aged 4-8 years.
4.25 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
November 18, 2015
I thought this children's book was really sweet. I read it to my six-year-old last night at bedtime. We talked about the book as I flipped the pages, figuring out what the little girl was going to do. This is another great book teaching kids about using their imagination and using the natural world for creative inspiration.
May 16, 2016
Reynolds has created yet another gorgeous book about being yourself and finding your inner artist!
February 19, 2020
Following up on his previous picture-books meant to encourage children to explore their potential as artists,
The Dot
and
Ish
, Peter H. Reynolds presents the story of Marisol in this third book in what the dust-jacket blurb calls his "Creatrilogy." An enthusiastic young artist who loves to draw and paint, and who is never without her box of art supplies, Marisol is put in charge of painting the sky for her class's mural for the school library. Distressed when she can't find the right hue, she observes the changing colors of the sky throughout the afternoon and evening, eventually realizing that she has been approaching the problem from the wrong angle. Rather than lamenting the fact that she doesn't have paint that is "sky color," she should be asking: what is sky color...?
As with its predecessors, I enjoyed reading Sky Color, both for the engaging story and for the charming artwork. Moving on from his original "just get started" message, in The Dot , and the ideas he presents about following one's own artistic vision, in Ish , Reynolds addresses the importance of artistic flexibility and looking at things from a different perspective here. An initial problem - the lack of blue paint for the sky portion of the class mural - is solved when Marisol realizes that the sky isn't always blue, and that she isn't required to depict it in one particular way. Recommended to young artists, and to anyone looking for children's stories that encourage creativity, and involvement in the arts.
As with its predecessors, I enjoyed reading Sky Color, both for the engaging story and for the charming artwork. Moving on from his original "just get started" message, in The Dot , and the ideas he presents about following one's own artistic vision, in Ish , Reynolds addresses the importance of artistic flexibility and looking at things from a different perspective here. An initial problem - the lack of blue paint for the sky portion of the class mural - is solved when Marisol realizes that the sky isn't always blue, and that she isn't required to depict it in one particular way. Recommended to young artists, and to anyone looking for children's stories that encourage creativity, and involvement in the arts.
Read
June 19, 2025I loved the pretty colors!
November 11, 2017
simple & colorful illustrations. good message to observe & explore the things we see everyday and make it your own and beautiful
June 24, 2017
Great for creativity. A young girl who doesn't have a "blue" color can still capture the colors of the sky.
June 29, 2022
"The sky is blue. Should always be blue."
That is what Marisol fixed in her mind. Not until a task was given by her teacher, she was 'forced' to change her belief. The teacher asked the class to paint nature.
Marisol decided to paint the sky. Unfortunately, her blue colour was missing. She was frustrated.
While waiting for a bus in the rain, she paid extra attention to her surroundings. Nature showed her different hues of the sky which contradicted Marisol's belief.
She happily rummaged through the colours red, yellow and orange; to paint a beautiful sunset.
All in all, we are always distracted by the past and the future. Sometimes, we should be in the present moment. The present might show us a different perspective of what we long perceived to be true.
That is what Marisol fixed in her mind. Not until a task was given by her teacher, she was 'forced' to change her belief. The teacher asked the class to paint nature.
Marisol decided to paint the sky. Unfortunately, her blue colour was missing. She was frustrated.
While waiting for a bus in the rain, she paid extra attention to her surroundings. Nature showed her different hues of the sky which contradicted Marisol's belief.
She happily rummaged through the colours red, yellow and orange; to paint a beautiful sunset.
All in all, we are always distracted by the past and the future. Sometimes, we should be in the present moment. The present might show us a different perspective of what we long perceived to be true.
June 12, 2015
Today, we're going to read a book called Sky Color. (Show cover) Now when I look at this picture, I think that this book will be about the girl in the picture painting the sky. I think this because there is a little girl with paint and a paint brush and the title is Sky Color. Does anyone else have a prediction of what will happen in this book based on the title and picture on the cover? (take students answers)
When you hear the words Sky Color, what do you think of? What color do you think the color of the sky is? Hold up the crayon or crayons you would use to paint the sky. Look around and see what colors your classmates are holding up. Are the same? Are they different? Some are the same and some are different. None of your answers are wrong because the sky can be any color you want. Let's read to see what the sky color will be in this book.
For this opening, I used the opening move "Prompt predictions based on the title and illustrations on the cover." I read them the title and showed them the cover of the book and offered up my prediction as to what the book will be about. Then I asked them what they think the story will be about. I would do this with the primary grades to model for them how to make a predictions based on the title and the cover of the book. If I would do this with older elementary, I wouldn't model my prediction, but ask them to predict first.
I also used the opening move of "Personal experience with the text" by asking them to tell me what they think the sky color is. In order for them to tell me, they would've had to experience the sky and observing the color of the sky. Also, by showing them that their classmates might have picked other colors than they have, I'm also setting them up for the theme of the book, which is creativity and seeing things in different ways.
I also helped lay the groundwork for the books theme.
When you hear the words Sky Color, what do you think of? What color do you think the color of the sky is? Hold up the crayon or crayons you would use to paint the sky. Look around and see what colors your classmates are holding up. Are the same? Are they different? Some are the same and some are different. None of your answers are wrong because the sky can be any color you want. Let's read to see what the sky color will be in this book.
For this opening, I used the opening move "Prompt predictions based on the title and illustrations on the cover." I read them the title and showed them the cover of the book and offered up my prediction as to what the book will be about. Then I asked them what they think the story will be about. I would do this with the primary grades to model for them how to make a predictions based on the title and the cover of the book. If I would do this with older elementary, I wouldn't model my prediction, but ask them to predict first.
I also used the opening move of "Personal experience with the text" by asking them to tell me what they think the sky color is. In order for them to tell me, they would've had to experience the sky and observing the color of the sky. Also, by showing them that their classmates might have picked other colors than they have, I'm also setting them up for the theme of the book, which is creativity and seeing things in different ways.
I also helped lay the groundwork for the books theme.
August 14, 2012
The final book in Reynolds' Creatrilogy invites readers to see the world in new ways. Is the sky always blue?
October 16, 2012
I think we all need our "blue paint" taken away from us now and then!
March 4, 2016
We loved the colors.
June 10, 2017
I love Peter Reynolds and have long used Ish & Dot. I came across a section of his books recently, and I was delighted to add a couple more! This fits his style. It encourages creativity, confidence, and problem solving. I love the way the lead - Marisol - has to work through her problem to get started with her art, and I also enjoyed the reference by Reynolds to a real dilemma he faced. This is beautifully illustrated, and I've found kids love these books. The term "ish" is a common expression in our classroom - so his influence and teaching through his books makes a strong connection to kids.
March 7, 2018
I loved this little book. Sometimes the only time an assumption is challenged is at the point of need and then the need disappears in light of truth. The truth revealed makes room for something beautiful and striking.
As I said, I loved this little book.
Thank you Peter Reynolds for your work. It speaks to my heart and quiets some of the toughest critics in my head.
As I said, I loved this little book.
Thank you Peter Reynolds for your work. It speaks to my heart and quiets some of the toughest critics in my head.
October 14, 2022
Five stars because yes, everyone should read it. Very effective, as the reader is given a chance to experience the epiphany before the character does.
Great counterpoint to Lemons Are Not Red.
Great counterpoint to Lemons Are Not Red.
April 7, 2020
Another Lovely Book from Peter H. Reynolds.
Marisol is an artist who enjoys making art for school and other venues. Her class needs to make a big poster for a project and she needs to paint the sky but there is no blue. So she takes a day and makes the sky from other colors.
Marisol is an artist who enjoys making art for school and other venues. Her class needs to make a big poster for a project and she needs to paint the sky but there is no blue. So she takes a day and makes the sky from other colors.
November 20, 2018
Wonderful for growth mindset, such a simple but powerful book for kids.
October 7, 2019
Cool concept and story.
July 19, 2021
Wonderful. This is available at the Utah Online Library as are Dot and Ish.
April 26, 2023
This is the last book I read in the series. It’s a lovely on that teaches to observe and don’t be afraid to step outside the norm or what one things is expected.
July 25, 2025
Reading age
3 - 8 years
3 - 8 years
January 6, 2025
My boy love this story, really inspiring about how we see the world and its colors. I loved too.
January 6, 2026
I love the art, which is so thoughtfully a combination of grays and color. What a beautiful and important message for all of us.
July 23, 2025
Let creativity flow 💜
September 20, 2012
Peter H. Reynold's "creatrilogy" comes to a conclusion with Marisol and her classmates creating a mural for their school library (you know I'm sold already on the idea of a collaborative project that celebrates the gifts and talents within the group lending to a lasting contribution to the learning environment--but I digress).
When it seems as though the blue paint has gone missing, our artist-in-residence--Marisol (from ISH) has to recreate her sense of sky color.
What I love about Reynold's newest title is a celebration of taking in--of "drawing" in from the senses and what Marisol observes around her. This makes SKY COLOR a natural ladder for transcendental works shared with older readers.
Another point of admiration is the community's response to Marisol's interpretation of sky color based upon her new perceptions. These are brought into the project without a sense of right or wrong regarding hue.
I think I'll go out and look at the sky before bedtime. I keep thinking it's only blue. . .or that it has to blue. . .maybe it's time to look again.
Thank you, Marisol.
Thank you, Peter.
When it seems as though the blue paint has gone missing, our artist-in-residence--Marisol (from ISH) has to recreate her sense of sky color.
What I love about Reynold's newest title is a celebration of taking in--of "drawing" in from the senses and what Marisol observes around her. This makes SKY COLOR a natural ladder for transcendental works shared with older readers.
Another point of admiration is the community's response to Marisol's interpretation of sky color based upon her new perceptions. These are brought into the project without a sense of right or wrong regarding hue.
I think I'll go out and look at the sky before bedtime. I keep thinking it's only blue. . .or that it has to blue. . .maybe it's time to look again.
Thank you, Marisol.
Thank you, Peter.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 425 reviews