Blue: A history of the color as deep as the sea and as wide as the sky

hmatherly
Oct 3, 2023
2 min read

Genre/Award/Honor

2023-2024 Texas Bluebonnet nominee

Age Group

PreK-6th

Summary

Blue: A History of the color as deep as the sea and as wide as the sky, is an informational picture book about the how blue stones were used and how blue dyes evolved. While not a good choice for a story time, Blue is an excellent book for science and social studies in the lower grades.

Justification

Blue is a 2023-2024 Bluebonnet Award nominee and as such, has been prominently displayed in the library where I work. I was charmed by the vibrant blue of the cover and captivated by the colorful pages.

Illustration

Daniel Minter creates deep, rich colors on every page of Blue. The luxurious colors invite you to linger on each page. The batik patterns evoke exotic folklore and ancient traditions. The illustrations are easily the strongest point of the book.

Accuracy

Brew-Hammond does not sugar coat the evils of the indigo trade and discusses the slave trade, slavery in the United States, and how planters in India and Bangladesh tricked farmers into growing indigo instead of food. She even shows how these activities created the negative associations we have with blue today, such as “feeling blue” or the blues style of music. Brew-Hammond’s notes and facts about blue dyes at the end of the book demonstrate her expertise on the subject.

Unusual Viewpoints

As mentioned earlier, Brew-Hammond discusses the greed motivated issues with the indigo trade. At a time when politicians are screaming for whitewashed history books, I found this frank treatment of the indigo trade refreshing. Bew-Hammond surprised me by explaining how other cultures were also seduced by the indigo trade, not just the United States.