Kids’ book looks at differing views
Hare and P¯ıhoihoi enjoy a beautiful dawn breaking over the meadow when P¯ıhoihoi wonders aloud: “What colour is the sky?”
Hare thinks it is blue, but when they talk to Hedgehog, Snail, Mouse, Frog and Ruru, the other creatures each say the sky is a different colour. In What Colour is the Sky? Laura Shallcrass explores the idea that all of us have different perspectives and opinions in life.
This beautifully illustrated picture book for young children explores the wonder of nature and shows the importance of listening and respecting other opinions, even when we see things differently.
We asked Laura some questions:
Tell us a little about your new picture book, What Colour is the Sky? What colour is the Sky is a story of discovery, about learning to look beyond your own experiences and gain a deeper understanding of others. But if that's all a bit serious it's also a story about some cute animals on a quest! I try really hard to have a message in my books but also, if you or your kid isn't in the mood, to have something nice to read, without too much effort which has everyone in a good place at the end.
What inspired you to write and illustrate this book? After Hare & Ruru came out I knew I wanted to do more with that world. It was partway through 2020 and I was thinking about a story with themes which mean as much to me as the ones behind Hare & Ruru. My mum is from the US and a large portion of my family still live there, so I take an interest in their politics. I used to feel very confronted and defensive when I encountered people strongly supportive of, for example, Donald Trump; everything he stands for is so completely opposed to my personal views that I felt attacked. But since reading a few books about human evolution and group instinct I was able to understand my own reactions and the position of the other person in a much more profound way. I was interested to see if I could make any of the lessons I learned through that process understandable for children. It's vastly simplified obviously but that was the thought process which went into the book and it's themes. What was your routine or process when writing and illustrating this book? I start with very loose storyboards and an outline of the plot. Both the writing and the illustrations develop side by side for me until the point where I'm ready to start illustrating the spreads. Then that becomes the focus, knocking out pages, and this is the most time-consuming part of the process. Towards the end I look for input from my publisher and editors
etc. There's usually some more development here and in the case of What Colour is the Sky? we tore it all apart only to put it back the way it was!
How would you describe your illustrative style? I love limited colour palettes and beautiful lines. I like to exaggerate the curvy-ness of a form but without taking it too far outside of its shape to where it becomes overly stylised. Technically, the way I create images is using flat vector colour as a base and a finer pencil style outline over the top.
What do you hope young readers will take away from reading What Colour is the Sky?
I'd like to think kids (and adults!) will take away ideas about learning to look beyond your own experiences and gain a deeper understanding of others. But if that's all a bit serious there's also some cute animals on a quest! I try really hard to have a message in my books but also, if you or your kid isn't in the mood, to just have something nice to read, without too much effort, and which has everyone in a good place at the end.
Are there more book ideas simmering away?
I have an idea for another book slowly forming in my mind but I'm currently obsessed with repeat patterns and have been spending way too much time creating wallpaper and fabric repeats for an imaginary wallpaper or home furnishing company!