About the Holiday

St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the life of Saint Patrick and is celebrated on the date of his death around AD 493. Saint Patrick is known for spreading Christianity across Ireland and establishing the country’s first organized church. While he did not profess the Christian faith while growing up, he credited God for helping him to escape, after 6 years, from Irish pirates who kidnapped him at the age of 16 and put him to work as a shepherd. He believed he was later called to preach the gospel in a dream and spend 16 years preparing for this work. The first St. Patrick’s Day Feast took place in the early 1700s and the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the American colonies was held in New York in 1762. Today, March 17 is a day of religious significance and a day for fun. So, don’t forget to wear green, look for leprechauns, and read today’s perfectly colored book!

Green on Green

Written by Dianne White | Illustrated by Felicita Sala

In this gorgeous celebration of nature and the anticipation of new life, Dianne White and Felicita Sala take readers on a lyrical journey through the seasons as colors burst, meld, overlap, and give definition to our observations and activities. The story opens in springtime, where a little boy and his mom, who’s just showing a baby bump, enjoy a field of yellow and blue flowers. Red accents include a small ladybug, the boy’s shirt, and a lighthouse in the distance.

Image copyright Felicita Sala, 2020, text copyright Dianne White, 2020. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

At home the thirsty boy reaches across a picnic table, decorated with those wildflowers, that holds “Lemonade petals. / Sunflakes between. / Lemonade, sunflakes, and yellow on green.” Spring is also soft blue skies, white birds like miniature clouds, and a pond where cattails and water lilies grow and a little splash promises the boy underwater discovery. Of course, spring also means changing weather and so the boy in his yellow rain boots runs through his yard, where “breezes and rain and yellow on green” make art from a showery day.

Summer comes with its brilliant blue ocean trimmed in white and blue seashells that dot the sand. Underneath, more colors appear. Now, “Turquoise the water. / Teal between. / Turquoise, teal, and blue on green.” Summer is also as golden as the full sun and ripe peaches enjoyed on a picnic with friends. Soon, there will be another child to join them.

Image copyright Felicita Sala, 2020, text copyright Dianne White, 2020. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Autumn appears with its own palette of red and yellow, orange and… “Brown the squirrel. / Brown the mouse. / Brown the trees around our house.” The baby is growing bigger now and the family gathers inside for hot soup, steaming cups of tea, and homemade bread. Later, their friends will join them for Thanksgiving dinner with a full “table and candles and brown on green.”

Winter brings “White the breath. / White the snow. / White and black the cawing crow” as  the little boy and his dad chop and carry wood for their fire. They then take a walk along snowy ridges past other homes with smoking chimneys and a herd of deer foraging for food and leaving hoof prints in the pristine blanket of white.

The holidays come and go and late winter sees the birth of the family’s newest member. As Mom rocks the baby to sleep, Dad takes his son outside to see new life there too among the trees. In the glow from the windows, the violet twilight, the quiet earth, and the anticipation of spring, they know: “Peaceful the evening. / Pine between. / Evening and pine and green…on green.”

Image copyright Felicita Sala, 2020, text copyright Dianne White, 2020. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Dianne White’s tender and serene tribute to the cyclical hues and emotional cues of life is a beautiful read aloud for quiet story times throughout the year. Her spare sentences and repeated phrasing create exquisite imagery while inviting readers to look deeper and discover in each experience a fresh “green” appreciation for its beauty and meaning. Her emphasis on family and community is as warm as a hug and offers children the comfort of belonging and the reassurance of love.

Felicita Sala’s mixed media illustrations surprise on every page with vistas that are at once sweeping and personal. Each spread is highlighted with small bursts of accent colors that draw the eye, extend the transition from season to season, and are blended—as on any artist’s palette—to create the stirring colors seen from page to page and in nature itself. Sala’s images of the family alone and with friends as they prepare for the birth of their second child quietly portray the rhythms of daily life as they enjoy the seasons in their individual ways and together. The endpapers present the portrait of a tree in spring, summer, fall, and winter.

For contemplative and family story times and to spark creative activities throughout the year, Green on Green would also make a meaning story to share with a child as they prepare to become a big brother or sister. The book is highly recommended for home, school, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Beach Lane Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1481462785

Discover more about Dianne White and her books on her website.

To learn more about Felicita Sala, her books, and her art, visit her website.

St. Patrick’s Day Activity

Green on Green Activity Kit

If you’re looking for fun activities that will get your kids thinking, observing, writing, and drawing, you’ve found them all in this one printable Green on Green Activity Kit available on Dianne White’s website.

You can find Green on Green at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review