Bright Horizons Book Review: Reflecting a rainbow of emotions in rich hues and rhythmical text, Yesterday I Had the Blues recounts a young boy’s array of emotions— happy and sad, hopeful and dim, deep and real emotions everyone can relate to. Each family member freely expresses his diverse sentiments through posture and language, revealing colorful depth and insight.

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Product Description

A young boy ponders a variety of emotions and how different members of his family experience them, from his own blues to his father's grays and his grandmother's yellows.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #353374 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Released on: 2004-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-An African-American boy laments about the blues he had the previous day, "those deep down in my shoes blues, the go away, Mr. Sun, quit smilin' at me blues," and goes on to describe his other days, using the colors of the rainbow. There are days when he has "The runnin' my hand along the hedges greens," Daddy has the grays, and Gram's got "The mix up some oatmeal raisin cookies- yellows." Vibrant acrylic-and-gouache spreads give rhythm and meaning to this child's interpretation of everyday life, his neighborhood, and his family. The illustrations effectively express each individual's mood and beautifully capture the cultural and artistic aspects of the family's life, while the expressive text is engaging. Readers and listeners alike will enthusiastically respond to this book and instantly identify with the sentiments expressed.
Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 2. The young African American narrator of this picture book spends a gloomy day with the blues; on the other hand, his energetic, ballet-crazy sister has a case of the pinks. Frame explores the spectrum of feelings, represented by different colors, that a sensitive little boy observes in himself and in others who live in his urban neighborhood. Cues in the artwork that can help children understand the emotions may occasionally be lost in Christie's sometimes dizzyingly askew compositions, but the vibrant palette and expressive characters perfectly reinforce the premise. Frame's soulful text describes each emotion with a flair for the telling detail (the father has "got the grays. . . . / The don't ask for a new skateboard till tomorrow grays"). At times, the author's free-associating can be a bit puzzling (the "straight shoelaces, coffee in the car grays"), but representing emotions with colors is an excellent way to introduce kids to metaphor. This will be a versatile tool for creative-writing units, too. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
STARRED reviews in:Publishers WeeklySchool Library JournalBulletin for the Center of Children’s BooksNick Jr. Family Magazine "Best Books of the Year"

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Customer Reviews

The cadence and rhythm are infectious...
My daughter (4 1/2) insisted on bringing this book home from school one afternoon, and after reading it to her for the first time, I understood why. Frame's sense of cadence is mesmerizing - the timing, phrasing and articulate descriptions of childhood moods and experiences are nothing short of infectious. After reading it that night, we checked out a copy from the library. After reading it every night for a week, I'm about to buy a copy. This book - a poem, really - has the kind of rhythm that makes Dr. Seuss, Ezra Jack Keats and Don DeLillo's poetry and prose sing. You and your child will love it.

Great Illustrations and fun story
I really enjoyed reading this book today. I thought it was cute, imaginative and fun for any child 3 to 8. I think the illustrations are adorable. The 'play' with color in both the text and illustrations is so creative and original.

A Charming whirlwind!
This is a story about an imaginative, sensitive little boy with a wry sense of humor who describes his own moods as well as those of his family by comparing them to colors - his sister feels prissy (pink!), his mom is mad (red!), his grandma is joyous (yellow), his aunt feels creative (indigo), etc. The author free-associates about emotional states and colors with a dizzying lyricism and charm that made me AND my 7yo smile. The art is bold and fun, with a unique flair for leading the eye on a journey from one side of the page to another with its attention to bright little details. But the prose itself is the best part about the story - funny, quirky and alive with imagery that sparks the imagination of even very young children. We had fun naming other variations of "the blues" and "the grays" and "the indigos" ourselves. This book would stand out in any children's home library. It's been a while since we had THAT much fun reading one short little story! =)