Alice is wide, wide awake. Mama brings flowers, tea, a quilt, even lullaby bells to help her sleep. But none of these things are blue, and Alice can sleep only in a blue room. Yet when the light goes out, a bit of magic is stirred up. Pale blue moonlight swirls into her bedroom window. Then the night swirls out, around the moon and into the universe, leaving Alice fast alseep in a most celestial blue room.
Illustrated by Tricia Tusa
Harcourt 2008
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16 comments:
This book just seems like a little bit of magic. What I loved, and thinking about Caldecott is that the illustrations absolutely MAKE the book.
This is just a beautiful book. It definitely does give the reader a magical feeling. I think what makes this book stand out from other beautiful picture this year is the way night time is illustrated, the blue night times is just great. I also like how the flowers flow on to the next page, like they are leading you to a special place and the same thing with the tea. What a great job of illustrating!
This is just a beautiful book. It definitely does give the reader a magical feeling. I think what makes this book stand out from other beautiful picture this year is the way night time is illustrated, the blue night times is just great. I also like how the flowers flow on to the next page, like they are leading you to a special place and the same thing with the tea. What a great job of illustrating!
To me, what makes this a great book is that the words stand alone beautifully, as do the pictures... but TOGETHER they become something more than the sum of the parts. The Caldecott criteria say they look for excellence in interpretation of the text. This one does that so well, bringing it beyond the words and into a universally recognizable place. The illustration is so gorgeous... I see why people call it magical.
I agree, I think this is one that should definitely be considered. I am a big fan of Tricia Tusa, and last year I was really hoping "Fred stays with me!" would be one recognized at the awards. Again she does a wonderful job complementing the story, and she has such a wonderful style and technique!
When I first started reading this book, I thought to myself "What is she thinking...this isn't a blue room!" Then, as I read on, and the lights went out, it hit me head-on! I just had to stare in wonder at the genius of the illustrations, and the way they carry this story -- it's AWESOME!
What I like most is the child's acceptance of things that were not what she wanted at first, because she tried them. Who isn't always trying to get kids to do that? And it speaks to the power of imagination; the room is always a blue room when the lights go out, and always a blue room when she thinks of that.
The THing that I loved about this book was the way things weren't blue (the color) but that they smelt blue or felt blue. They had the atmosphere of blue that the little girl was looking for. The illustrations were amazing. This is a wonderful nominee for the Caldicott.
The weaving together of lovely illustrations and poetically honed prose create a soothing atmosphere of bedtime magic sure to make this an instant classic and a favorite with children and parents.
The first time I read it, I could almost hear kids saying, "but it's not blue" until the end when it is blue.
Magical story that made my top 10 list for Caldecott contenders
Jamie at TUFW: This story was delightful. The story line was good because even though the chid's mother did not bring her exactly what she wanted, she was still willing to take them and even though they were not blue, in the end, they were exactly what the little girl had asked for. Incuding the blue moon.
The illistrations are great as well. They seem to flow in the story, which gives them a night time feel and a dreamish feel as well.
The descriptions in this book are enchanting. The reader can almost smell the flowers, taste the tea, and feel the soft quilt on his or her skin. I would love to read this book to a group of young children gathered on a reading rug, enjoying the sound and magic of a good book. The softness of the story would likely settle down even the rambunctious ones.
A soothing story great for bedtime reading. Not at all what I was expecting when I opened the book. I was wondering when the blue room would show up. Then, at the end, it was beautifully shown through the illustrator's portrayal of the moon's blue light.
The black outlining of the illustrations in this book make the pictures stand out and distinguish the beginning from the end where the blue room is shown by the moon.
The text is unique and soothing. It would be great to calm down any group of children or to discuss what they do when they go to sleep. Teachers and students could also brainstorm why the author portrays the moon as having blue light.
I felt like going to bed after reading this book. The story and pictures just captivated me. Not only is it a great book for a Caldecott award, but also a possibile Geisel in my opinion. This would be great book to read to a small group of students, but even more so to read it to your child before bed. It's one of those books that creates a fantastic, enchanting environment perfect for the dreams and imagination of children.
I just loved this book. The story and illustrations are beautiful. The slightly whimsical and captivating illustrations complement the soothing, dreamy story. All of the lines and edges in the illustrations are soft, which lends itself to the bedtime aspect of the story. I also love how the blue room ends up being how the room looks once the moon comes and shines into the room.
Alice seems like a typical little 5 or 6-year-old girl who wants everything to be just perfect. For her perfect is the color blue.
These illustrations are beautiful. This would be another great bedtime story.
This is a great book for young elementary students. I could really use this book to stir some imaginations.
This one is a great candidate for the award.
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