Blue is a secret. He’s the monster that the child in the story feels and sees. Blue makes the child worry about everything and hold back from joining in with friends. Then, one day, the child tells a friend about Blue. Suddenly it becomes easier to talk about sad things and soon the child learns that sad is just one feeling and blue is just one colour.
A gentle picture book about feeling down.
What makes this story super-accessible is the lack of name for the child in question, the gender neutral appearance and the short but reassuring text. It would be easy for a young child to imagine themselves as the child at the centre of this story and therefore question whether they ever felt sad. This is a wonderful idea, and it could be of use to parents and teachers looking for a text to help a child recognise when they are feeling sad and to think of coping strategies. The spare text also allows for conversation around the story which is brilliant for the same reason – it might help children to open up and to imagine what their sad would like like if it had an appearance.
The illustrations are like an artist’s version of a child’s drawing. They are set on a white background: Blue, the child, and their toy monster are always coloured in but other details use patterns and remain uncoloured. This again might encourage children to draw their own sad character and to set them in a particular situation.
The use of monsters to represent feelings is not new but the gentle text will make Blue a hit with younger children. Any story that promotes mental wellbeing is valuable and Blue does exactly this whilst reading like a story.
- Blue by Sarah Christou is available now from Faber and Faber LTD. RRP. £7.99 (Provided for review)
