Explore the connections found in nature in this simply stunning picture book that explores the idea of change, both big and small. This sky is the same sky that was blue, and now is spilling down in drips and drops… until rainclouds pass… Over the course of one day, a small child experiences the way the natural world changes from sun to rain and from day to night as things transform from is to was in this breathtaking book. ★ "The narrative, infused with a tenderness that avoids preciosity, is a contemplative, thought-provoking one and will prompt children to think about the here and the now--and how quickly such a thing becomes memory. An experience that is, and always will be, memorable ." --Kirkus Reviews , starred review "In serene watercolor and pencil spreads and gossamer prose , Freedman marvels at the mystery of change... [and] finds the beauty in transitional moments through a book that also offers a quiet way to begin conversations about loss ." --Publishers Weekly "Deborah Freedman captures a series of momentary transitions in the spacious, color-washed pages of "Is Was"... From moment to moment, what "is" becomes what "was" in this sublime meditation on constancy and mutability for children ..." --Wall Street Journal Do you remember the fox, if you've read my book  Carl and the Meaning of Life ? Did you notice the tiny bee in that book? The spider? The bat? Did any young readers spy the chipmunk in  Shy ? Or recall meeting  Florence  there? The yellow bird has now flown through three of my stories, and is about to appear in a 4th, singing, this time, "is-is! Is-is!"    All of these creatures reunite and are joined by a few new ones in  IS  WAS , a book about change, small and large, in nature, and more subtly, in life.   My hope is that children of all ages who read my newest book will find whatever they might need from it—whether that's simply a soothing read to help with the emotions and feelings that go along with common transitions like saying goodbye to the day, or even comfort for other new experiences or more profound life changes, including death and dying.   Please be sure to read the dedication at the end! I was thinking of my readers when I wrote it. For more tidbits like these, sign up for my occasional  eNewsletter  at my website, where you will also find  free resources and lesson ideas for IS WAS ! Deborah Freedman once was a child who liked to swing on swings. Now, she is an author-illustrator of picture books for children. She lives in a colorful house in Connecticut, where, from her favorite writing chair, she has watched blooms, storms, and moons come and go. You can learn more about Deborah and her books—including Blue Chicken ; The Story of Fish & Snail ; Shy ; This House, Once ; and Is Was —at DeborahFreedman.net.