My Blue Is Happy

Gr 1–3—In this engaging story, a little girl realizes that not everyone feels the same about colors. Her sister sees blue as sad and associates it with lonely songs. But the protagonist sees it as happy because it reminds her of her favorite jeans and the pool on a hot day. Dad says brown is ordinary like a paper bag but chocolate syrup is the association that the child makes. Art teachers will gravitate toward this upbeat title to let children begin to explore the importance of color. Chien's illustrations are appropriately vibrant and allow for the different interpretations that the text suggests. This idea of colors and the associations youngsters have about them is an interesting subject and would make for some great writing activities. How do you feel when you see red? How about violet or orange? Having children compare their notions of the same colors would make for some great conversations. This child knows her own mind and feelings and isn't about to have someone else's associations color her world. Use the story with Emma Dodd's Dog's Colorful Day (Dutton, 2001), Roseanne Thong's Red Is a Dragon (Chronicle, 2001), Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint (Houghton Harcourt, 1989), and Jane Brocket's Ruby, Violet, Lime (Millbrook, 2012) to further explore color with children.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA