A Flash of Color and Light: A Biography of Dale Chihuly (Growing to Greatness)

Mentyka and Couvillion deliver a vibrant portrait of connection in a picture book biography centered on the efforts of Dale Chihuly (b. 1941) to form family. Appreciation for coastal Washington’s natural environment shapes the subject’s early years, as do the consecutive deaths of his brother and father (“Dale never stopped wishing his family was still together, whole again, not broken”), but it’s time abroad that crystallizes his fascination with glass as a medium. Emphasizing risk-taking and teamwork, illuminating, evocative text touches on basic glassblowing techniques amid a lengthy discussion of career twists and turns. Rainbow-hued renderings appropriately underline the eponymous interplay of color and light, with spreads taking on the milky quality of glass and echoing the curvaceous, otherworldly aspects of Chihuly’s pieces. Notes, a timeline, and a glossary conclude. Ages 5–9. (Oct.)