When Eloise, a young African-American girl, tells her neighbor, Rainbow Joe, how she mixes colors, he tells her even though he's blind, he imagines colors in his mind--and can make them sing. When Rainbow Joe takes out his saxophone, Eloise and her mother see the colors in the notes he plays. Full-color illustrations.
Eloise likes colors. Her friend, Rainbow Joe, likes colors, too. But Rainbow Joe is blind, so Eloise tells him about the colors she mixes and the fantastic animals she paints. When Rainbow Joe says he can also imagine and mix colors, Eloise is puzzled. How can a blind man see colors? she wonders. Little does Eloise know, Rainbow Joe is planning a surprise to show her his special colors. What she finds is a whole new way of seeing the world. Maria Diaz Strom, in her picture book debut, tells an endearing story that celebrates friendship and the power of imagination.