Lewis’s dynamic brush combines two art styles to show the interaction between a girl’s real life and her imaginative life inside her paintings. Lily Brown “loves her mama, daddy, and baby brother and the world they live in,” but nothing compares to her passion for painting, an act that “makes her world start to change.” The universe becomes “a big colorful splash”: stars from the sky patronize sidewalk cafés, trees wear hats and antelopes lounge in the park on chaises longues. A luscious spread shows jubilant apples, oranges, bananas and pears laughing and speaking. Lewis smoothly but intriguingly integrates his own deft watercolor skill with a child-like style representing Lily’s work. The gorgeously shadowed and sophisticated figure of Lily with palette or brush is perfectly positioned next to a child-style portrayal of stars or a rainbow. This is about art and color as much as imagination. Lovely and buoyant. (Picture book. 3-7)
