When I Coloured in the World

Reviews / Votes

This illustrated hardback has been translated into English. It won the Iranian 'Flying Turtle' award. The concept is a full colour ilustration on the left hand side and a few brief lines on the right, often with a secondary much smaller illustration. There is a one wprd heading such as 'War', 'Hunger' or 'Noise'. The narrative tells that the word hunger has been rubbed out and then replaced with other more appropriate words such as wheat, and then wheat begins to grow all over the world. For War, it is replaced with peace and then all the radios report that all wars have ceased. Other topics include 'Crying', 'Desert' etc. It all says what colour pencil has been used and this relates to the colours in the picture. The pictures are quite vivid in colour and for 'Desert' we have a deep red background with a tree and birds, whilst 'Boredom' has sky blue for the playing picture. This is a book of profound simplicity. A child uses crayons to colour and change the world, making it kinder, more hopeful place. Boredom gives way to play, darkness to light, drought to rain, crying to laughter, and much more. A beautiful book with a sparse poetic text, but a deep and positive message. -- www.happyfamiliesonline.co.uk I tend to discourage the use of erasers - in school at least - and especially for the very young who all too easily become obsessed with using them, needlessly rubbing out their so called 'mistakes'. Not so the child narrator of this beautiful fable wherein we see how colour can change the world and the way we look at it. Her judicious use of a single eraser and her box of crayons makes the world a place of joy and peace, hope, playfulness and much more, filling it with red roses, yellow lights, blue sky to play beneath, silver rain and drizzle to eliminate the floods, wheat growing green, peaceful light blue, orange spring filled with scented blossom, dark blue for song and dance, purple laughter, gentle breezes of violet, healthy glowing pink for healing, orange for people whose age is immaterial ...and finally, with another wielding of the yellow crayon ...I love the way the author has captured the child-like innocence of this wonderful, empowering book. It's one I can envisage being shared and discussed widely in schools as well as being enjoyed at home and it's a great starting point for children's own colourful, world changing artistic creations. Ehsan Abdollahi, the book's illustrator too has captured that special child-like simplicity in the uplifting scenes that are aglow with wonderfully patterned, richly hued images. What riches Tiny Owl is bringing to the UK with the publication of such truly beautiful books from Iran. I hope they achieve the wide audience they merit. -- Red Reading Hub - Jill R Bennet's Reviews of Children's Books I loved When I Coloured the World by Ahmadreza Ahmadi and also The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi, both published by Tiny Owl. The first because it is unexpected, asks and answers questions, is about colour but also philosophy, deep, layered, beautiful. They aren't new books to the world but it's the first time they've been translated into English. -- Jackie Morris, author of The Ice Bear Guardian Children's Books