Ray is an average closet lightbulb. Turn him on and he sees everything his family stores in the closet. But it's the same old 41 items, every time. When the light is turned off, he becomes bored and drifts off to sleep -- a sleep without dreams. However, today is Ray's lucky day! He feels spinning as his family removes him from the closet fixture and places him in a lantern that they take on a camping trip. He encounters a number of new things on this journey, including the biggest lightbulb in the world (sun). After all these grand new experiences, he now knows that even after returning to his closet, his life will never ever be the same again. I think the point to this sweet book came through easily and youngsters will relate to the way a change in scenery can impact our thoughts and dreams. What a great story to use with children when discussing all the new things they learned and discovered on a recent trip or while having a new experience. The simple artwork was rendered in tempera, pastels and digital collage and is really sweet natured with soft colors. Thank you to Netgalley and to Tundra Books for approving an advance reader's copy so that I would provide my honest review. This book will be published tomorrow, May 26th.

The titular lightbulb bemoans the boring state of his life in the closet near the stairs, until he’s whisked off to the outside world. The absence of a substantive plot may be off-putting for some, but Marianna Coppo’s whimsical illustrations more than make up for this. Text is sparse; readers are instead invited to join along and marvel at the world around us. I can’t wait to use this during story time!

This is a sweet book that suggests to readers the benefits of a shift in perspective. Sometimes we don't know what is possible. Life doesn't have to be all darkness. Patience and trust that things will brighten up can help us all.

Sidenote: the ebook formatting needs to be addressed, as it is choppy and broken up in the file I read in the Kindle app.

Ray tells the story of one, little lightbulb. For years, Ray's life had been very quiet and dull. His only world was the contents of the small closet that he lived in. That all changes for Ray one day. Instead of remaining in the closet, his family takes him out camping. They utilize his light to guide them on their trip. Now, Ray's world is filled with things beyond anything he could have ever imagined. He sees animals, a river, mountains, and stars. Not-to-mention, Ray is stunned when he meets the brightest lightbulb in the world... the sun.

Strange and abstract, but so incredibly cute.  Ray the lightbulb is often bored inside the closet that he inhabits, only rarely illuminating the interior.  He gets so bored that he often dreams a dreamless sleep.  But when he's placed into a camping lamp and goes outdoors with a family, he discovers that there's an entire world outside the closet.  It's filled with all sorts of creatures and colors and atmosphere that he didn't even know existed.

With Coppo's signature style, she turns an abstract story into one about discovery, using the smart decisions to play with lighting (ha!) and details.  

Overall, I think that this book is fun and plays with a lot of concepts such as existence and exploration that I find are important when coming into one's self and growing up.

This is such an inventive and unique book. Ray is about a light bulb who one day goes on a camping trip and sees all sort of new sights. I thought the perspective from a light bulb was so interesting. Ray was super cute and I love the illustrations. The text really engages the reader and takes them on a journey with Ray. I do think this story would be fun and appealing to children or for a story time.

I loved the illustrations in this book and how you can interact with them; I found myself comparing the closets to see what was being taken out and trying to find Ray on their camping trip. The illustrations are also so colourful and bright! The story itself was cute, but I don't think it was that engaging and at the end I was left a bit sad as I wanted more for Ray.

This is the story of a light bulb that longs for a little adventure. He's lit the living room, the bathroom, and now the closet, and he's bored since nothing ever happens in a closet. Then he's taken on a camping trip in a lantern and his whole world opens up. It's a fun story to read and I was drawn in through a pleasant mixture of vibrant illustrations and concise, amusing text. This would be a fun classroom or bedtime read aloud. I liked it, and I know kids would as well.

I really enjoyed this book and I think kids will too! Ray the lightbulb has a pretty ordinary, boring life until one day all that changes and he is off on the adventure of a life time! Ray loves to count and there are lots of things for him and readers to count. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the story engaging.

This is a cute story of the world through the eyes of a little light bulb at the end of the hallway. I liked the graphics in this book.

A delightful little book, with a very interesting concept and excellent execution. I loved the art, and can see this appealing to a lot of children I work with.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
I did liked the idea of noticing what is around you and imagining what you cannot see, but I felt there was too much trying to happen in this book. I'm not sure what I would do to make it better. The illustrations were great. I loved the color contrast. I just needed more depth to the story I think.

"Ray" by Marianna Coppo is a children's book that follows along with Ray the lightbulb as he goes on an adventure outside of his house. The book was a cute story and had great illustrations to accompany it! In fact, my family and I found the illustrations to be the best part of the book. We really enjoyed the sunrise page drawing towards the end of the book.

In the beginning, I felt a little skeptical about the direction of the book. The discussion of the closet and it's contents was not the more interesting. However, the author really picks it up at the end of the book and takes this little lightbulb on a camping adventure where he sees hundreds of new things. I especially loved the ending and how he now had new memories with him in the same closet back at home. Overall, it was a good book but it feels like the first half of the book is missing something to make it special.

This was a story about Ray, a light bulb hanging in a closet. He's bored, having previously been in other parts of the house. Then he's transferred to a lantern and goes on a camping trip with a boy and (presumably?) his father. This outdoor adventure sustains Ray when he's back home in the dark closet.

I don't usually write a story synopsis, but this review would be meaningless without a summary of the narrative. There was no action and not much plot in this story. The artwork was attractive, a saving grace in a rather unsatisfying tale. What was there to engage a young audience? The adventure will beg the question, how can you put a lightbulb in a camping lantern that was hanging from an electrical cord? As a side note, I wondered at the choice of such limited characters: one man and a boy. Oh, and Tom, the spider. I can't see the point of publishing such a thin piece of writing.

I was a big fan of Petra, so I was very excited to get the ARC of Ray. I loved Petra partly because it fit into our Summer Reading Program theme (Libraries Rock!) so well two years ago, but also because it has a fun twist--you discover Petra is not actually a mountain, but just a small pebble.

One thing that I find really impressive is that as soon as I saw the cover, I immediately recognized the illustration as something I'd seen before. I think it's great when illustrators have a distinctive style that readers can identify.

In Ray, the illustrations are as delightful as ever. I love Coppo's ability to infuse ordinary objects with personality and life. The illustrations are whimsical, but they also have a folk art feel about them. They also balance negative space without being too stark or too cluttered. I liked that there were a few interactive elements as you read the book with a child ("flip the switch!" and "count the objects!"). However, something about the storyline of this book didn't work for me. There was something not internally consistent that I can't quite place my finger on. Maybe it's the fact that a light bulb is going on a camping trip? I love children's stories that focus on forgotten things or give everyday objects personalities and feelings. But I almost think like this story would have worked better if Ray was a flashlight or a camping lantern rather than a light bulb.

I'm probably overanalyzing something that most children won't notice, but I do think that sometimes children want things to be logical even more than adults do. Regardless, this is a cute book with a unique concept, and I will be happy to push it into the hands of library patrons.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so sweet! I loved the simple but entertaining storyline, the idea that there is a big world out there we just have to go and find. But my favorite part was the art work. Great color work, and Ray the lightbulb is sweet and funny.

Ray the lightbulb leads a simple life until one day he's whisked away for a new purpose. All readers will delight in Ray's new adventures. Highly recommend for storytime.

Ray, the light bulb, leaves the boring closet, sees new things, and then goes back into the closet, where he can dream about all the new, colorful things he saw. It's an odd story, but it works. The illustrations are perfectly paired with the content and really do the heavy lifting to make this book an entertaining read. The language could be more descriptive in places. "Things" and "Something" are all over this book. Overall, it's ok. A nice leisure read.

‘Ray’ is such a deLIGHTful story! The illustrations are just beautiful, and the adventure Ray goes on was so heartwarming. It will certainly be a title I look forward to having in our personal collection as soon as it is published!

I never thought I could feel so sorry for the lightbulbs in my house! A charming story about a lightbulb who appreciates a camping adventure.