HOW THE CRAYONS SAVED THE RAINBOW

How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney and Fernonia Parker Thomas is a colorful book about the Sun and the Clouds, who are best friends who make rainbows together and fill the world around them with color to bring joy to all. One day, though, they two get into a fight and decide to part ways, never appearing in the sky together or creating any rainbows again. Without any rainbows, the world around them quickly begins to lose its color until one day it's free from any color at all. Until a forgotten box of crayons changes everything.

The illustrations are mixed media, combining crayons, colored pencils, and digital alterations. The collage-style assembly makes each spread feel dynamic and alive as the crayons bounce around and color their world. On certain spreads you can even see the black-and-white or the color spreading from left to right, and it's such a fantastic touch. It makes these spreads feel like continuations of previous spreads rather than isolated moments. Thomas uses white space really well throughout, leaving key areas blank to not overwhelm the illustrations and highlight the natural white spaces that crayons leave behind.

In a sea of books about rainbows and colors, it manages to stay unique and fresh, and it never feels didactic. The character designs are simple, expressive, and relatable, and the design of the book is clean and colorful.