I Paint My World

In this gentle story about how we respond to events in the world around us, a young child discovers that his feelings can color the way he experiences everyday ups and downs. 

Much like a painter selecting from a colorful palette, we all have power to choose how we react to the world around us. 

From spring rain to summer heat, autumn winds and winter snow, there can be a wide range of emotions. The same sun that melts ice cream warms the ocean water. The rain that cancels a baseball game helps the flowers to grow. Joy and sadness, beauty and disappointment—our feelings are shaped by our inner power, coloring our response to the world around us.

Bold, vibrant artwork by award-winning illustrator Susan Gal brings color and movement to this emotion-centered debut picture book by Esther Novak.

"This debut picture book offers a seasonal exploration of how perspective shapes emotional experience. Beginning in spring, a young red-haired boy with light skin and freckles moves through the ups and downs of a year. Rhyming poetic text features evocative language to capture the sounds and feelings of each scene. 'Spray, drench, squishy, gray,' accompanies an image of the soggy boy sad over a canceled soccer game. But here, all seasons have two sides: the next spread celebrates the rain with a 'Stomp, stomp, splash and splatter.' Vibrant illustrations bring this concept vividly to life. The art, rendered in acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and ink, is bold with expressive brushstrokes; full of motion and expression, each scene reflects the tone of the season and mirrors the child’s changing perceptions. Winter finally arrives, bringing both disgusting slushy sleet and amazing sledding, and afterward comes a conclusion: 'Seasons come, seasons go. Rain, sun, wind, snow. Every day and every hour, how I feel—that’s inner power.' An author’s note elucidates the book’s central message: life brings a variety of seasons and challenges but choosing how to view those challenges can be empowering. VERDICT This gentle, visually engaging title will resonate when supporting discussions about feelings, resilience, and mindset."

—School Library Journal