When I Colored in the World

by Ahmadreza Ahmadi, Ehsan Abdollahi (Illustrator)

Overview

With a box of colored crayons and an eraser to rub things out, one child sets out to transform the world. By rubbing out ‘hunger’ and coloring in ‘wheat’, the world can be fed. By rubbing out ‘crying’ and coloring ‘laughter’, the world gets to sing, dance and be joyful.



Told with poetic simplicity, this book shows how creative imagination – through the use of color and imagery – can change the world from bad to good. An unusual and deceptively simple picture book that imagines a world without discrimination, poverty or inequality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910328491
Publisher:	Tiny Owl Publishing
Publication date:	05/28/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	645,451
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ahmadreza Ahmadi is one of the greatest Iranian contemporary poets. He has written numerous children’s stories, some of which have won major literary awards in Iran. In 2010 he was among the five shortlisted nominees for the Hans Christian Andersen award. His books for Tiny Owl also include Alive Again (2015).



Ehsan Abdollahi is an illustrator and animator from Iran. He teaches at Tehran Art University. Ehsan is inspired by the environment and fabrics of South Iran (where he was born), and uses bold colours and rich patterns in his illustrations.

Read an Excerpt

My mom gave me a box of crayons for coloring, and an eraser to rub things out with. So guess what I did?



Desert. I rubbed out the word desert. I wrote the word roses. Roses. Red With my red crayon I made roses grow all over the world! I gave the world red.



Darkness. I rubbed out the word darkness. I wrote the word light with my yellow crayon. Light. Yellow. With my yellow crayon I made lights come on all over the world! I gave the world yellow.



Boredom. I rubbed out the word boredom. I got my blue crayon and I wrote playing.

Playing. Sky blue. All over the world people played. I gave the world sky blue.



Drought. I rubbed out that word drought. I wrote rain with my silver crayon. Rain. Silver. I made it rain all over the world, and everyone had to put up umbrellas! I gave the world silver.



Hunger. I rubbed out that word hunger. I wrote wheat with my green crayon. Green. Wheat I made wheat grow in fields all over the world. I gave the world green.



War. I rubbed out that word war. I got my sky blue crayon and I wrote peace with it. Light blue. Peace All over the world news came from radios saying that all the wars had stopped. After that news, the radios played such lovely music that flowers bloomed in empty vases.

I gave light blue to the world.

Editorial Reviews

A lyrical exploration of the power of colors. When I Colored the World prompts readers to imagine that silver can make it rain, orange can turn winter to spring, and purple can transform tears into laughter. This brightly illustrated picture book will be a great conversation starter for kids of all ages.

author of My Blue Is Happy Jessica Young

2019-02-13

When a child is given a box of crayons and an eraser, they replace bad things with nicer ones, spreading color everywhere.

"Desert" gives way to "roses" and the color red, "darkness" to "light" and the color yellow, and "hunger" to "wheat" and green. The color pairings go beyond a limited set to include sky blue, violet, silver, and others. Their associations with introduced items tickle the imagination but feel forced at times—why, for instance, is "laughter" purple? Readers looking for comfort in patterning will be disappointed by the inconsistency of types of actions in the text: Is the child effecting the change ("I made roses grow") or just imagining it ("mothers danced and laughed")? While the creative and simple poem focuses on improving the quality of the world for everybody, some readers may feel that certain concepts ("winter," for instance, as well as"crying" and, most problematically, "old age") are bestowed with a negativity they don't deserve. Stylized, childlike illustrations accompany the introduced colors, with swirls and concentric circles offering unifying ornamentation, but largely fail to convey the positive message of the book, with most of the depicted characters looking unengaged, tired, or distressed. The book's high point is an exercise for readers at the end, asking them to imagine what they want to change to make the world a better place.

A book with an engaging message that falls short during implementation. (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews

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