Written by C.P. Sharpe and beautifully illustrated by Happy Rose, Is It True, You Can Paint a Grey Sky Blue? is a cute, fast-paced picture book for messy play-loving youngsters aged 4-8.

Faye is not in the mood to play with her brother, Fergus. It’s her birthday, and she has invited her friends over to play on a bouncy castle.

However, it’s grey outside, so it might rain. You only get one birthday a year, and this one will be ruined if the children can’t think of something. 

Fergus believes he can paint the sky blue, but Faye thinks he’s just being silly. All the same, an almighty mess ensues, but for all the right reasons.

I had the idea for this story after writing a separate narrative around the question: Why is the sky blue? I then saw that several other children’s books already explore the scientific explanation, so I came up with something that would instead invite the question itself.