"All I See" By: Cynthia Rylant

The book All I See is a very cute story about a boy who befriends a painter. He is a very shy boy who finds entertainment in watching an artist during his free time in the summer. One day while the artist is buys taking a break, the boy paints him a picture. They communicate through the paintings until the artist convinces the boy to stay and paint with him. He teaches the boy what he knows, and they become friends.
The book focuses on painting so it fits that illustrations would be beautiful watercolor paintings. The end pages are a cream yellow that have a similar texture to watercolor paper. Another cute detail are the whale painting die stamps on the front cover.
Whales are important theme throughout this book. The artist, George, seems to only paint whales. When the boy asks him why he only paints whales, he replies that it's "All I See". The artist's easel is set up in front of a lake. Although there are no whales in the lake his imagination allows him to see more than what meets the eye.