Laura Vaccaro Seeger is already a two time Caldecott honor winner....and I think it won't be very different with this one!

'Blue" is simple, pretty much a wordless picture book. Yet the words that are present are impactful. It's the story of a boy and Blue...both the name of his dog AND the colors around him. So many shades of blue are present and are used to depict the mood of the book. The illustrations are "acrylic paint on canvas" which is a look I greatly enjoy.

I say it has early literacy capabilities for a couple of reasons. It's a great beginning reader with sight words and repetition. It can also be used to ask "what do you think is going on"..so perfect for dialogic reading. Yes, it is sad. But that's okay. I'm actually debating about using it in a storytime to see how it goes. ( )

For most of the book, this reads more like a concept book about shades of blue than a story -- and then near the end it hits you right in the feels.

Detail-oriented kids will probably be intrigued with how Seeger made the cut-outs be different things on each side of the page. The cut-outs also transition each shade of blue to the next. ( )

NO YOU’RE CRYING ( )

Wow, who know a book about the color blue could bring tears to my eyes. Seeger does an amazing job by showing different colors of blue as well as emotion in it. I loved the illustrations and the different shaded of blue. ( )

A boy and his puppy grow up together, experiencing every shade of blue, from real to metaphorical. When the dog passes away from old age, the boy - now grown up - still keeps the dog's blue neckerchief with him, even as he meets a new dog, and its attached young woman.

Illustrations are done in acrylic paint on canvas, with little cutouts on each page, previewing the next shade of blue.

See also: Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper; The Rough Patch by Brian Lies

*

Re-read June 2021 ( )