In the Blue

hmatherly
Sep 15, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Sep 19, 2023

Genre/Award/Honor

Disability or Differences

The Schneider Family Book Award Young Children Honor 2023

Age Group

PreK-6th

Plot Summary

Disabilities come in all shapes and sizes, and in this case, colors. A young girl struggles to understand her father’s “blue” moods and rages while he suffers from depression.

Justification

In the Blue is a Schneider Family Book Award Young Children Honor 2023 winner. I was interested in seeing a child’s perspective on a family member’s struggle with depression.

Illustration

The author illustrated In the Blue using acrylic gouache, which creates warm, sunny landscapes and backgrounds symbolizing the loving relationship between father and daughter. As the narrative progresses, blues surround the father and the amount of yellow diminishes until only the little girl is spotlighted. Blues become dominant, and even angry reds begin to appear. When the family gets professional support, the yellows return, and blues subside into the landscape.

Mood

The daughter’s emotions as she watches her father set the mood for In the Blue. The warm colors, plus her adoration of her father, make it clear how close they are. “My dad is as tall as the sky. And I’m his teeny-tiny sunspot!” Her confusion and heartbreak pierce the reader when the father withdraws. She never fully understands what he is going through, but after the family gets professional support, she accepts that he may have relapses, but that together they can do anything.

Plot

In the Blue deals with a complex disability in a few short pages. I doubted if it could really do justice to those suffering from depression or the toll it takes on their family. In the Blue doesn’t try to do that. Instead, it shows how the young daughter deals with her father’s moods. Even after things are better, careful review reveals that it is not always sunny and bright. “But the blue still comes back. Sometimes in little drops, and sometimes in big, crashing waves. I know it won’t ever completely go away.” Although she may not have a full understanding of what her father is going through, she realizes that his depression doesn’t have to dominate. “But I’m not afraid. Because whatever colors come our way, he’ll always be my dad, as tall as the sky. I’ll always be his teeny tiny sunspot. And together, we can do anything.”