Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

An abundantly illustrated puzzle poem provides a spectacular celebration of green in the world. The author of the Moxy Maxwell chapter-book trilogy offers something completely different in this lush tribute. An opening line sets the conversational tone: "The thing is, / the thing is green." She goes on to provide examples of "mean green," "dark and dangerous green" and "green things / that are good for you." Her examples aren't just things that grow; there are green socks, a green light for "go" and an old green door. The text reads aloud beautifully, building to the question, "Have you guessed yet?" and the final answer, revealed not in words but in a familiar image of Earth from space, with previous elements cleverly placed. Desimini's imaginative illustrations complement and extend the graphically flexible text. Done with scanned textures and images combined into mixed-media collages, these are both realistic and imaginative, full of whimsy. Two young children, one dark-skinned, one light-, explore a world in which the range of green colors is remarkable and balanced with some surprises. There are the orange and tan of a green-eyed tiger, the red of a ladybug or a tree-frog's eyes, and pink-purple skies. Readers will want to identify every fruit and vegetable and look for added elements (a snatch of "Greensleeves" in musical notation, for example). Two fertile imaginations grow a grand salute. (Picture book. 3-8)

ALA Booklist

How many words can you think of that describe green? Electric, lush, sparkling, glowing ey're all here, and then some. Exciting, hypnotic language that begs to be read aloud ("It has dark and dangerous greens / greens-you've-never-seen greens / ocean-floor greens / tornado-sky greens / tiger's eye greens") describes some mysterious, ultragreen object, an object so green that it incorporates the green of grapes, green moths, traffic lights, ocean waves, and a gaping Komodo dragon. A boy and girl cavort through the green landscapes, grinning and gawking at waves of grain, climbing vines, glowing fish, and "green turtles in turtle-green ponds." All the while, readers are encouraged to guess what object contains this verdant multitude. Desimini's mixed-media and digital-collage illustrations contain frenetic combinations of objects and textures, while the vivid words in varied sizes loop around the pictures, adding to the overall zany, wondrous atmosphere. A celebration of language perfect for prompting conversations about color, vocabulary, and our planet.

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

The thing is, / the thing is green. / And the green is, / the green is green.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

An abundantly illustrated puzzle poem provides a spectacular celebration of green in the world. The author of the Moxy Maxwell chapter-book trilogy offers something completely different in this lush tribute. An opening line sets the conversational tone: "The thing is, / the thing is green." She goes on to provide examples of "mean green," "dark and dangerous green" and "green things / that are good for you." Her examples aren't just things that grow; there are green socks, a green light for "go" and an old green door. The text reads aloud beautifully, building to the question, "Have you guessed yet?" and the final answer, revealed not in words but in a familiar image of Earth from space, with previous elements cleverly placed. Desimini's imaginative illustrations complement and extend the graphically flexible text. Done with scanned textures and images combined into mixed-media collages, these are both realistic and imaginative, full of whimsy. Two young children, one dark-skinned, one light-, explore a world in which the range of green colors is remarkable and balanced with some surprises. There are the orange and tan of a green-eyed tiger, the red of a ladybug or a tree-frog's eyes, and pink-purple skies. Readers will want to identify every fruit and vegetable and look for added elements (a snatch of "Greensleeves" in musical notation, for example). Two fertile imaginations grow a grand salute. (Picture book. 3-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

-It-s chock-full of green things/ that are good for you:/ your eat-your-broccoli greens/ your bunch-of-green-grapes green/ your watermelons-sparkling-in-the-sun greens.- What is this mysterious object that contains so much green? Readers won-t find out until the final spread of this energizing tribute to the planet, as Gifford-s verse sings the praises of greens eels, anacondas, a -tornado-sky,- and -tennis balls that glow way beyond ever green.- Some readers may be slightly lost at first, since Gifford doesn-t ask them to guess what she-s describing until the book is almost over. Desimini-s mixed-media collages incorporate scanned images of fabrics, photographs, and other objects to create whimsically surreal images that highlight the variety of greenery found on Earth. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)

School Library Journal (Thu May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

PreS-Gr 2 In this creatively illustrated picture book, the color green comes to life in a varied and substantial way through brilliant text and mixed-media artwork. Readers are escorted through poetic text to try and guess what the great big green is. "The thing is green," leads readers into page after page of art that has skillfully been crafted by scanned in paintings, fabrics, sandpaper, velvet, a green marble, and a wide assortment of other unusual materials. The author describes many natural elements that can be green like "tornado-sky greens" and "ocean-floor greens" and "your watermelons-sparkling-in-the-sun-greens." As this well-written book ends, the great big green thing is revealed with pomp and circumstance that will delight and encourage a second reading. A solid general purchase for most collections. Nancy Jo Lambert, Ruth Borchardt Elementary, Plano, TX