Skye Amber Sweet is always an empathetic artist; she creates lush, contemporary paintings and joyous murals that dot Los Angeles.
Now, she’s illustrated the charming story Evie’s Star, written by author Jeffrey Coffman, a delightful and touching story about a little girl, a supportive star, and the glow of love.
If there was ever a time for a hopeful, charming story like this, it’s now. Sweet’s illustrations are reminiscent of Japanese block prints or etchings. The limited gold, black, white, and grey color palette is both uncomplicated and illuminative, revealing the details of the decepetively simple art work.
Texturally, from the girl’s hair to the wash of light emanating from the ever-brighter star, the artwork is rich; both entirely original and captivating. The visuals are compelling to young readers without dominating or overpowering the uplifting story; they are also so finely wrought that this book could easily be an adult classic coffee table book, a testament to belief in a difficult time.
To keep things both short AND sweet, the evocative and universal art and gentle words mesh beautifully; one could see this book becoming a childhood classic much as Harold and the Purple Crayon is, which shares a similar limited color palette and now-iconic drawings paired with a deep message.
To quote Coffman, the book’s author, “Then as her star slipped beneath the waves, her little star whispered once more her way, when you dream, whatever your heart desires, Dream big…”
Certainly Sweet does, with her rich, large-scale murals, as well as her prodigious output of vibrant, often abstract, but always spiritually grounded contemporary images –
— and here in this book, exhibiting a completely different and fresh figurative style.
This book should resonate with children age 4 and up; adults will be charmed with such a text as well.
- Genie Davis; photos provided by artist