English / Singapore
Lemonade sky
Low, Joo Hong
(text/illus.)
Singapore: Epigram, 2021. – [44] p.
ISBN 978-981-49-0122-2
Rule | Social norm | Overprotection | City | Night | Imaginary trip | Emancipation | Picture book
Reading age: 6+
White Ravens issue: 2021
Tired of rules and regulations, a boy takes his toy friends along on a journey in search of the “lemonade sky” – a place where he believes he can be free. Dreamlike paintings in rich colours and bold brushstrokes and short and profound texts form an enigmatic narrative in the familiar yet magical setting of a nocturnal city. Passing through spaces full of instructions and prohibitions, the friends encounter animals that are actually reflections of the boy’s feelings: a brooding orang-utan, a howling wolf, a python curled up on a crosswalk, a menacing frogfish. At the break of dawn, the sky turns lemonade-yellow, sending them all back to the boy’s room, where coloured pencils are waiting for him to paint the world as he would like it to be. Low Joo Hong was inspired to write this story when he witnessed a little girl being criticized for colouring the sky in her painting yellow. He is currently pursuing a PhD in art and has received several awards for both his English- and Chinese-language picture books. And yes, the sky can indeed be yellow! [LO]