Courage of the Blue Boy

So begins the blue boy's quest for color. After travels though lands so full of yellow, packed with purple, riddled with nothing but red, Blue comes to a place different from the others. A big, beautiful city where every color lives in harmony-every color but blue that is! Feeling very much alone, Blue hides in his room until he has an idea, a blue idea that he shares with the city. Then Blue gathers his courage and steps out into a world more colorful than ever before.Reviews

"The metaphor's plainly doing the driving here, but it's clear enough to be understood by young readers too, and broad enough to be interpreted in either a personal or cultural way."-Kirkus Reviews

"The simple story will appeal to preschoolers, who will also be caught up by the colorful images, impressively outlined in black and drenched in pure color. Somewhat older children will catch the theme of inclusion that suffuses the book, making it a good choice to share with children, singly or in groups."-Booklist

"The youngster's change of palette colorfully reflects the story's underlying message. . . this allegorical offering will work well as an introduction to multicultural discussions as well as lessons on courage."-School Library Journal

"Unlike the bedazzling freshness and simplicity of his Wow! City!, Neubecker's exploration of courage unfortunately seems rather didactic and familiar. The title blue boy, tired of living in a land where everything is blue, sets out with a blue calf named Polly to find all the colors of the world. Like a junior Everyman or Harold with his purple crayon, the hero appears to begin an allegorical journey. However, when the blue boy discovers a 'big beautiful city' containing lots of colors, the book begins to morph into a story with themes that seem too weighty for its simple structure. The boy realizes the city lacks blue, so he slips blue works of art underneath the door of his apartment (a blue poem, song, book and painting). Then the blue boy summons 'all of his courage,' and peeks outside to find that the city has integrated his blueness. As if ideas about an artist's alienation and one city's incorporation of diversity weren't enough, the blue boy 'breathes in all of the colors of the city' until he is figuratively and literally 'every color of the world'-except for 'his big blue heart.' Neubecker's illustration of the blue boy transformed into fingerprinted spots of color is a standout, but the book seems designed to impart a message, and the lesson it offers is muddled. Ages 3-up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

There was a blue boy who lived in a blue land. Everything was blue. Polly the calf was blue. "There must be more than blue," he sighed. "Moo," said Polly. So begins the blue boy's quest for color. After travels through lands full of yellow, packed with purple, riddled with nothing but red, Blue comes to a place different from the others. A big, beautiful city where every color lives in harmony--every color but blue that is! Feeling very much alone, Blue hides in his room until he has an idea, a blue idea that he shares with the city. Then Blue gathers his courage and steps out into a world more colorful than ever before.

After travels through lands full of yellow, packed with purple, riddled with nothing but red, Blue comes to a place different from the others where every color lives in harmony--every color but blue. Feeling very much alone, Blue hides in his room until he has an idea he shares with the city.