Splash!

Splash! Written and illustrated by Kym Langfield. 2025 Daisy Lane Publishing. Hardcover picture book. 34 pages. ISBN 9781763670020. RRP $24.99

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Lucy is down. Large grey clouds hang over her everywhere and won’t lift. Nothing seems to help. Mum and Dad try to lift her mood. Skipper the dog tries to help, too, but Lucy is still down. Is there anything that will lift the clouds away from Lucy?

When she reluctantly turns up for art club, she is greeted by a large splash of yellow paint landing on the floor in front of her feet. The paint has escaped from a paintbrush belonging to a girl called Abby. She takes the shy, hesitant Lucy into the art room and offers a quiet corner among the noise, where Lucy is encouraged to make a splash, spreading paint onto paper, swirling it into a lovely watery pattern. Over the next few days, Abby encourages Lucy to experiment with more colour, and Lucy’s grey clouds begin to lift.

As she applies layers of paint to her art surface, a beautiful painting emerges, centred by a large rainbow. She plays outside and notices the sunshine and how much colour there is in the world, wondering why she hasn’t noticed it before. When Lucy returns to the art room, she is both surprised and encouraged by the other students who praise her brightly coloured painting. Now Lucy’s mood lifts, as she appreciates the colours and a newfound friend.

Through art as therapy, Lucy is able to face the grey clouds of life and have her spirits lifted and restored. This book, from primary school teacher/mental health and wellbeing leader and illustrator, Kym Langfield, shows the important themes of friendship and the joy of art to help children with their mental health and wellbeing.

Recommended for a reading level of 5-12 years.