I have collected fol sayings for years and have passed many on to my daughter and children I've worked with down the years This is a lovely book of sayings that are going to get lost if they aren't passed on, so yes, buy a copy for the kids (all ages!) and pass them on!

Red Sky at Night by Elly MacKay was a mixed bag for me. On the plus side, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. MacKay makes brilliant use of soft light and warm colors throughout, and some pages almost feel like they glow. It’s been a while since I’ve seen visuals that so wowed me; I just wanted to crawl right into some of the pages. Another positive is the glossary at the end, which explains how true the weather sayings are, whether or not for instance that red sky at night really is a “sailor’s delight” and denotes a good day to come. MacKay goes beyond simply saying if they make for good predictions or not and explains why, such as how dew forms more readily on clear, cold nights and thus is a good sign of good weather. The downside to the book is the prose. MacKay of course uses the sayings themselves, so she can’t be faulted if they aren’t particularly rhythmic (they’re often not) or lyrical. But the inelegance of much of the text could have been ameliorated with additional language; the beauty of the visuals really cries out for a correspondingly poetic text and here the book falls well short. That said, while it’s a large negative in my mind, the gorgeous visuals more than make up for it, and the excellent glossary tips the balance even more. It’s not an unqualified recommendation, but it’s a positive one nonetheless.

This book is good for selected audiences. It is a beautiful picture book featuring various weather sayings, such as "Red sky in morning, shepherds take warning." There isn't a plot and there aren't characters that you follow through the book. There is a saying and illustration to match the saying. At the end of the book, there is some information on how true the sayings are and why they are or why they aren't helpful.

It is probably excellent for kids who enjoy weather but aren't quite ready for longer books. It is a very pretty book, so if you want to share some fun weather lore in a nice picture book format, well, this is probably an excellent choice for you.

*thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.
I loved this book! The illustrations are simply gorgeous! All of these weather sayings are very good. It's not often that I read an ebook and want to actually buy it in paperback or hardcover, but this one was so good that I will. It's one of those that you can treasure and pass down your family line as none of these sayings can get it dated. All age groups will enjoy this. It doesn't matter if your 10 or 110. Definitely recommend to all.

Written in rhyme, this book is a collection of "weather predictions" some of which I heard my mother say to me and some which were totally unfamiliar which is a good thing because I learned something new. You are never too old to learn brand new things I always say.

Here are a few that are included:

"Red sky at night, a sailor's delight."

"When the dew is on the grass, no rain will come to pass."

"No weather is ill if the wind be still."

"Yellow streaks in a sunset sky, wind and daylong rain are nigh."

"Whether it's cold or whether it's hot, we shall have weather, whether or not."

"Ring around the moon, rain will come soon. "

"Cats leap about and chase their tails to warn of thunderstorms and gales." Just to cite a few.

The illustrations enrich the sayings and take them to a whole new level. Elly MacKay is a paper artist extraordinaire and her crafted creations are simply beautiful. She skillfully designs family interactions around the weather patterns. The storyline is not only visually stunning but informative as well.

I am sure that kids will enjoy these catchy weather aphorisms and will put them into practise to see if they are true in the area of the world that they live in. Highly recommended.

This short picture book has handicapped itself by being the story of an old man and two children going on an overnight fishing trip, told entirely in illustration and old wives' sayings about the weather. And it really has worked to overcome that handicap very well indeed. It's a simple warm drama, as everyone enjoys camping overnight and they beat the weather back to base with some fresh fish and fresh memories, and we're left with the sayings and adages themselves to pore over on a more scientific basis at the end, which really ramps up the educational value. I have to say I learnt a heck of a lot from the artwork, too - collaged and decoupaged paper constructs, photographed as static scenes, but with all the detail and life you could wish for. Some of the spreads are seriously beautiful, meaning this weather-related book could take any child from the depths of their tower block flat and into the outside world. And all without getting wet... Lovely.

RED SKY AT NIGHT takes a look at all of the weather sayings people learn as children, such as "Red sky at night, sailors delight." I really liked the illustrations in the book, but my favorite part was that at the end, there's a section that breaks down the truth in each saying, by saying which are "true", which are "usually true", which are "questionable", and which are "true (but only in temperate zones)", as well as giving additional information. It makes it a great book for children of multiple age levels by offering that little bit extra.

This is a great children's book about old weather sayings. The watercolor artwork is beautiful throughout.

How many sayings do you know about the weather? The only ones I knew, in this book were:
<blockquote>Red Sky at Morning,
Sailers take warning
Red Sky at Night
Sailers delight.</blockquote>

And although I did not know this saying
<blockquote>If seabirds fly to land
There truly is a storm at hand</blockquote>

I was aware of this weather phenomenon, and have mentioned it many times in the past.

The illustrations are paper craft, and gorgeous, and each of the sayings, are explained at the end of the book, where it explains what each saying means, and why it works. Beautiful book to look at, and good information for children to have, because, sometimes you don't have access to the weather.com (which isn't always right for your neighborhood anyway).


Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I was immediately attracted to the beautiful cover art on Red Sky at Night. The colors are so soft, complement each other well, and seem filled with light. The human characters in the illustrations appear to be paper cut-outs, so I took a look at author/artist Elly MacKay's website to see what she shares about her artistic process. There she provides some examples of the "layers" that she builds in a theater setting to create her images -- so cool!

The text of this book is comprised of "weather sayings," some of which we have probably all heard before (such as the title). The illustrations serve as the primary narrative, and depict a grandfather taking his grandchildren on a fishing trip. Since so many weather sayings revolve around the sea, this is a fitting framework for the text, and I really love the accompanying images, especially the one with the whale!

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical of many of these sayings until I reached the end of the book and found an explanation for the scientific principles behind each one. Of course, none of them are foolproof and some may be questionable, but when you consider that these were written by people, such as farmers and fishermen, whose lives revolved so closely around the weather, it makes a lot more sense.

In short, I really enjoyed this book, and the beautiful illustrations have inspired me to check out more work by Elly MacKay.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

ARC COPY...immensely narrative about nature, and the weather along with the cultural sayings that come with it. I was immensely impressed the illustrations were literally hand crafted...it's all what looks like paper-craft. It gave a "solid" feel you it like I can almost touch the illustrations and was immersed in it.

Cute picture book with weather-related sayings. I enjoyed the demystifying of some of them at the end.