That artistic avian hero Bob, whose story began in the eponymous Bob the Artist, returns in this second picture-book devoted to his adventures. In this new tale, Bob becomes quite blue when his best friend and artistic partner Bat goes away. Everything Bob paints turns out blue - a reflection of his mood. Finally, fed up with the blue, Bob's other friends take him on a hike to see the colorful sunrise. The beauty of the dawn, together with the postcard alerting him to Bat's imminent return, is enough to snap Bob out of his blue period...

Like its predecessor, Bob's Blue Period is a lovely book, one which pairs an engaging story about its avian hero's emotional state, with appealing artwork. I don't know that I found it quite as poignant as the first story, which addressed bullying and feelings of self worth, but I did like the way it tied Bob's emotional state to his artwork, showing how our creative endeavors are impacted by the events in our lives. The artwork is quite expressive, as Marion Deuchars manages to convey quite a bit of emotion through her depiction of her stick-legged character and his antics. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first book about Bob, and to anyone looking for children's stories about feeling lonely and blue, missing a friend, and/or being an artist. ( )