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In a Blue Room
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.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Jim Averbeck
13 books40 followersI was born and raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, a beautiful city built, like Rome, on seven hills-wooded hills of oak, walnut, and maple where I and my childhood imagination ran wild.
I enjoy throwing myself into situations which give me an opportunity to explore and grow. I joined the Peace Corps in my late twenties and went to live in Cameroon in western Africa for almost four years. It was there I first realized I wanted to write for children.
I enjoy throwing myself into situations which give me an opportunity to explore and grow. I joined the Peace Corps in my late twenties and went to live in Cameroon in western Africa for almost four years. It was there I first realized I wanted to write for children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
July 9, 2008
You know that feeling you have when you're a fan of something (could be an artist, television show, songwriter, you name it) and they just don't seem to be getting enough attention? And on the one hand that makes you a little happy because now you have a secret special somebody or something that's yours and yours alone. And on the other hand you love this thing or person and you want it to get acknowledged. You want other people to see what you see and to appreciate what you appreciate. Well, I've been like that for years with illustrator Tricia Tusa. I watched her illustrate How to Make a Night and Fred Stays With Me!. I observed her clever paperback covers for Eleanor Estes' Moffat series. I bit my nails and waited for her to be paired with just the right author at just the right time. Someone who could give her a meaty text that perfectly complemented her charm. Enter first time picture book author Jim Averbeck. Pair his gentle bedtime tones to Tusa's images and what you're left with is the best bedtime tale I've read in many years.
Alice is wide-awake and bouncing on the bed when her mother enters. After informing her mom that the only way she'll be able to fall asleep is in a blue room (and the yellow walls make THAT pretty unlikely) her patient mother brings in different items one by one. There are lilacs and lilywhites for scent. There is tea in a cup for taste, a silky soft quilt for touch, and lullaby bells for sound. Finally, just as Alice begins to drift off to sleep, her mother turns out the light. The light of the moon comes in "bathing everything in its pale blue light." Everything now the same color, Alice sleeps soundly in her room turned blue at last.
I am sure, I am certain, I am left without so much as a droplet of doubt that there is a child in this country who will pick up this book, look at the cover, and announce (not without a note of self-satisfaction), "That room's not blue!" Well done, child. You are correct to some extent. The repeated assurance that Alice is in a blue room will confuse some people initially, but I think our kids are smart enough to realize that the blue is coming, even if it isn't THERE at all times. Mr. Averbeck has also somehow hit upon the perfect number of words per page. There are never too many and there are never too few. Told entirely in the present tense, it melds colors, the five senses, and repetition (the ultimate comfort to a child) in a rhythmic series. You feel safe in Averbeck's world.
Sometimes at my library someone will come in and ask for a book of the five senses for their kids. I'll hand them the usual Aliki My Five Senses fare, but just for kicks it's sometimes fun to also give them a picture book that drills each sense home. Averbeck's book does this, and I suspect it may also inspire some parents to start similar bedtime routines. Maybe they'll start bringing in flowers for bedtime scents, or maybe a jazz CD for the sounds (the Blues?). There is something remarkably peaceful about this book too. I like to think that maybe it has something to do with the quality of the blue Tusa chose for the ending. It's that blue/gray color you get on certain moonlit evenings. With the white white stars and the single moon shedding its light on the front of the house, the combination of these images with Averbeck's soothing words is near hypnotic. This is the kind of book children dwell on and remember, long after they've forgotten. If you know what I mean.
Ms. Tusa's illustrations are rendered here in ink, watercolor, and gouache. She does quite a lot with shadows and light, two aspects of her paintings that I've never really noticed before. The bright lamplight manages to convey in its starkness the dark outside. And as always, her characters are key. When Alice's Mama sits on the bed beside her daughter, you can see her weight there. Her physical presence. I also enjoyed the little details in the book, like the fact that the stars and moons on Alice's blanket slip out of the room when she falls asleep and into the dark night sky. Finally, those last shots of Alice's house perched on the top of the earth are beautifully haunting.
What's the market like these days for a good bedtime story? Probably pretty good. As a child, I always enjoyed those books that took place at night. Stories like Sam and the Firefly that really knew how to play around with evening light. In terms of gifts, I've already given a copy of this book away to a friend of mine who had a baby shower. There isn't a person alive who won't love what Averbeck and Tusa have done here. I hope Harcourt will pair the two of them together again someday so that we can see more books like this one on our shelves. Lovely in every sense of the word.
Ages 4-8.
Alice is wide-awake and bouncing on the bed when her mother enters. After informing her mom that the only way she'll be able to fall asleep is in a blue room (and the yellow walls make THAT pretty unlikely) her patient mother brings in different items one by one. There are lilacs and lilywhites for scent. There is tea in a cup for taste, a silky soft quilt for touch, and lullaby bells for sound. Finally, just as Alice begins to drift off to sleep, her mother turns out the light. The light of the moon comes in "bathing everything in its pale blue light." Everything now the same color, Alice sleeps soundly in her room turned blue at last.
I am sure, I am certain, I am left without so much as a droplet of doubt that there is a child in this country who will pick up this book, look at the cover, and announce (not without a note of self-satisfaction), "That room's not blue!" Well done, child. You are correct to some extent. The repeated assurance that Alice is in a blue room will confuse some people initially, but I think our kids are smart enough to realize that the blue is coming, even if it isn't THERE at all times. Mr. Averbeck has also somehow hit upon the perfect number of words per page. There are never too many and there are never too few. Told entirely in the present tense, it melds colors, the five senses, and repetition (the ultimate comfort to a child) in a rhythmic series. You feel safe in Averbeck's world.
Sometimes at my library someone will come in and ask for a book of the five senses for their kids. I'll hand them the usual Aliki My Five Senses fare, but just for kicks it's sometimes fun to also give them a picture book that drills each sense home. Averbeck's book does this, and I suspect it may also inspire some parents to start similar bedtime routines. Maybe they'll start bringing in flowers for bedtime scents, or maybe a jazz CD for the sounds (the Blues?). There is something remarkably peaceful about this book too. I like to think that maybe it has something to do with the quality of the blue Tusa chose for the ending. It's that blue/gray color you get on certain moonlit evenings. With the white white stars and the single moon shedding its light on the front of the house, the combination of these images with Averbeck's soothing words is near hypnotic. This is the kind of book children dwell on and remember, long after they've forgotten. If you know what I mean.
Ms. Tusa's illustrations are rendered here in ink, watercolor, and gouache. She does quite a lot with shadows and light, two aspects of her paintings that I've never really noticed before. The bright lamplight manages to convey in its starkness the dark outside. And as always, her characters are key. When Alice's Mama sits on the bed beside her daughter, you can see her weight there. Her physical presence. I also enjoyed the little details in the book, like the fact that the stars and moons on Alice's blanket slip out of the room when she falls asleep and into the dark night sky. Finally, those last shots of Alice's house perched on the top of the earth are beautifully haunting.
What's the market like these days for a good bedtime story? Probably pretty good. As a child, I always enjoyed those books that took place at night. Stories like Sam and the Firefly that really knew how to play around with evening light. In terms of gifts, I've already given a copy of this book away to a friend of mine who had a baby shower. There isn't a person alive who won't love what Averbeck and Tusa have done here. I hope Harcourt will pair the two of them together again someday so that we can see more books like this one on our shelves. Lovely in every sense of the word.
Ages 4-8.
September 8, 2009
My favorite among the recent stack of picture books I brought home from the library! It is so sweet, so beautifully told, perfect for bed-time. It captures perfectly the essence behind the little quirks children have while trying to go to sleep; for this little girl, everything in her room MUST be blue so what to do when there is the fragrance of pink flowers, the softness of green blankets... which are very soothing but NOT blue? *sigh* made me want to snuggle up and drift off to dreamland--and in this book's case, that is a compliment! ;-)
November 4, 2008
This is a very calming book with intricate illustrations and it’s perfect for a bedtime story. Not much blue color is used in the pictures until toward the end of the story.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for children who are extremely literal minded or who routinely look for ways to procrastinate going to bed; the book might give them more ideas for delaying going to sleep. I’m only half joking here.
It is a simple story that has subtle humor and it will not overly stimulate kids right before their bedtimes. I think most young children will love this book.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for children who are extremely literal minded or who routinely look for ways to procrastinate going to bed; the book might give them more ideas for delaying going to sleep. I’m only half joking here.
It is a simple story that has subtle humor and it will not overly stimulate kids right before their bedtimes. I think most young children will love this book.
February 9, 2019
A young girl named Alice is determined only to fall asleep in a blue room in this lovely bedtime story, but is gradually won over by her mother's gifts, and calm assurance. Lilacs and lilywhites aren't blue, but she finds their delicious scent very relaxing. Tea isn't blue, but the comforting orange liquid makes her drowsy. The quilt isn't blue, but it's soft and cozy. The lullaby bells aren't blue, but their peaceful chiming sends her into slumber... just as the moon rises, and bathes the world in blue.
In a Blue Room is a charming pean to the rituals of bedtime, and the special customs of childhood. Soothing and gentle, it lulls the reader, just as Alice herself is lulled. Jim Averbeck's narrative is seamless, and Tricia Tusa's artwork - created with ink, watercolor and gouache - soft and appealing. I don't know that it was intentional, but I especially liked the broadening sense of perspective, at the end of the book, and the feeling that Alice is indeed sleeping in a blue room - the blue "room" of space.
In a Blue Room is a charming pean to the rituals of bedtime, and the special customs of childhood. Soothing and gentle, it lulls the reader, just as Alice herself is lulled. Jim Averbeck's narrative is seamless, and Tricia Tusa's artwork - created with ink, watercolor and gouache - soft and appealing. I don't know that it was intentional, but I especially liked the broadening sense of perspective, at the end of the book, and the feeling that Alice is indeed sleeping in a blue room - the blue "room" of space.
August 20, 2008
Nothing about this book quite coheres. The concept -- a little girl can only fall asleep if everything in her room is blue -- is cute, but the execution is kinda lame. Why is blue so important to the girl? The illustrations don't help either -- nothing in the girl's room is blue, which might have helped to give blue some importance, perhaps indicating that it's her favorite color.
The girl's mother brings her various things to help her fall asleep -- a brown cup of tea, some fragrant white and purple flowers, jingling golden bells. The little girl complains mildly about the colors being incorrect, but nothing ever becomes such a big deal that there seems to be a point.
Also, I couldn't help but think that all the things the mother brings in are going to keep the child awake -- bells, tea, smelly flowers! The kid's senses are going to be too jacked up for sleep!
Finally the moon comes out, washing the entire room in a blue light, and the little girl gets her blue room. It's a nice idea, but getting there just didn't make much sense.
The girl's mother brings her various things to help her fall asleep -- a brown cup of tea, some fragrant white and purple flowers, jingling golden bells. The little girl complains mildly about the colors being incorrect, but nothing ever becomes such a big deal that there seems to be a point.
Also, I couldn't help but think that all the things the mother brings in are going to keep the child awake -- bells, tea, smelly flowers! The kid's senses are going to be too jacked up for sleep!
Finally the moon comes out, washing the entire room in a blue light, and the little girl gets her blue room. It's a nice idea, but getting there just didn't make much sense.
May 18, 2008
I HAVE to love this book. I wrote it! Not loving it would be like not loving your child.
But I am also enamored of the amazing illustrations by Tricia Tusa.
For less partial reviews check out:
Publisher's Weekly boxed, starred
Caldecott Buzz
7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast
But I am also enamored of the amazing illustrations by Tricia Tusa.
For less partial reviews check out:
Publisher's Weekly boxed, starred
Caldecott Buzz
7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast
May 18, 2008
This bedtime story written by Jim Averbeck and illustrated by Tricia Tusa is magical. Averbeck's words shine and shimmer like little lyrical gems in the evening light. His text brings us into the room. I can smell the lilacs and lilywhites, feel the warm tea and hear the lullaby bells chime in the breeze.
Tricia's art is gorgeous. Every new spread brings a fresh perspective and shows Alice longing more and more for her bedroom to be blue.
The end of this story brings a twist that made my heart leap. It is beautiful, magical, and intensely satisfying. I recommend this book to any kid or grown-up who wants their nighttime ritual to be just so.
Tricia's art is gorgeous. Every new spread brings a fresh perspective and shows Alice longing more and more for her bedroom to be blue.
The end of this story brings a twist that made my heart leap. It is beautiful, magical, and intensely satisfying. I recommend this book to any kid or grown-up who wants their nighttime ritual to be just so.
May 31, 2010
Sweet story of a little girl, Alice, who is up well past her bedtime. Alice proclaims that she can "only sleep in a blue room."
Mother, however, brings all sorts of sleepy-time things (which are not blue) but somehow manage to help Alice begin to feel sleepy - orange tea, white flowers, etc.
Then, when the lights are out, and the moon shines into Alice's room, she might end up with just what she wanted to begin with :)
Not only is this a great bed-time story, but its a great introduction to the five senses, too.
Mother, however, brings all sorts of sleepy-time things (which are not blue) but somehow manage to help Alice begin to feel sleepy - orange tea, white flowers, etc.
Then, when the lights are out, and the moon shines into Alice's room, she might end up with just what she wanted to begin with :)
Not only is this a great bed-time story, but its a great introduction to the five senses, too.
June 11, 2019
I like Jim Averbeck's books. I want to remember what I've read by him so I can easily look for more. My favorite color is blue. I like the transformation of everything to blue as the book winds up. I like the idea that we all live in a world that is like a big blue room.
May 18, 2008
I read this to a group of preschoolers today and they were wide-eyed, interested and enthralled from beginning to end. The book is ideal for parent and child, any caregiver and child, and school and library readings.
The spare text, full of sensory details, depicts a child avoiding bedtime because blue is her favorite color and she can only sleep in a blue room. It starts lively with Alice jumping on her bed "wide-awake past bedtime" then gradually lulls with words and illustrations as Alice's mother brings her flowers, tea, lullaby bells, and a cozy quilt. Alice becomes more and more drowsy. The words and illustrations seem infused with patience and love, as well as as bit of magic when Alice's desire for a blue room comes true.
In a Blue Room is not just perfect for right-before-bed readings. When I read it to our preschoolers it was nowhere near nap-time let alone bedtime. The delightful surprise twist of an ending also fit perfectly with our recent preschool themes of Moon, Earth and Space, and even our upcoming celebration of Earth Day. After hearing the story our preschoolers rushed to the art table and were inspired to draw pictures of beautiful blue rooms! It's hard to beat Tricia Tusa's illustrations--but watch out, Tricia--you've got some 3 to 5-year-old artistic competition at my preschool, because Jim Averbeck's new book inspires all.
The spare text, full of sensory details, depicts a child avoiding bedtime because blue is her favorite color and she can only sleep in a blue room. It starts lively with Alice jumping on her bed "wide-awake past bedtime" then gradually lulls with words and illustrations as Alice's mother brings her flowers, tea, lullaby bells, and a cozy quilt. Alice becomes more and more drowsy. The words and illustrations seem infused with patience and love, as well as as bit of magic when Alice's desire for a blue room comes true.
In a Blue Room is not just perfect for right-before-bed readings. When I read it to our preschoolers it was nowhere near nap-time let alone bedtime. The delightful surprise twist of an ending also fit perfectly with our recent preschool themes of Moon, Earth and Space, and even our upcoming celebration of Earth Day. After hearing the story our preschoolers rushed to the art table and were inspired to draw pictures of beautiful blue rooms! It's hard to beat Tricia Tusa's illustrations--but watch out, Tricia--you've got some 3 to 5-year-old artistic competition at my preschool, because Jim Averbeck's new book inspires all.
July 22, 2008
Alice is unable to sleep because her room isn't fully blue. Her mother tries to help, bringing in flowers with a sweet scent, a steaming cup of tea, a snuggly warm quilt, and a string of bells to ring in the breeze. None of the items are blue, but they all help to greet the blue of the evening. Finally, with the light off, Alice is in her blue filled room and all of the gentle motherly touches are tinted to a blue too.
This is a gentle bedtime book that is soothing, loving and beautiful. Tusa's art is whimsical and magical. I love the details of all of the items in the bedroom, all adding together to warmth and home. The warm yellow of the walls, will get children thinking immediately about how in the world this room is going to become blue. The detail of each item being a different non-blue color is also a great part of the story. Averbeck's text has a flow that adds to the soothing gentleness of the entire book. Until we are all washed away like Alice with the tide of deep blue.
One of the most evocative and charming bedtime tales I have seen in recent time, this book is a great bedtime read aloud. The pictures are large enough to use it with a group, so this should become one of your standards for bedtime pajama story times at the library too.
This is a gentle bedtime book that is soothing, loving and beautiful. Tusa's art is whimsical and magical. I love the details of all of the items in the bedroom, all adding together to warmth and home. The warm yellow of the walls, will get children thinking immediately about how in the world this room is going to become blue. The detail of each item being a different non-blue color is also a great part of the story. Averbeck's text has a flow that adds to the soothing gentleness of the entire book. Until we are all washed away like Alice with the tide of deep blue.
One of the most evocative and charming bedtime tales I have seen in recent time, this book is a great bedtime read aloud. The pictures are large enough to use it with a group, so this should become one of your standards for bedtime pajama story times at the library too.
October 4, 2009
Young Alice not only loves the color blue, she insists on it, especially at bedtime. This particular night she seems to especially need blue, as she bounces, wide-awake past bedtime. Mama brings her a few of her favorite things: White Flowers (lilacs and lilywhites), tea (orange colored, steaming in a brown cup, a "silky soft and warm" cozy quilt (a red and green pattern), and "lullaby bells to sing you to sleep" ("yellow bells on black strings" that "chime softly in the window breeze.")
Alice, of course, recognizes that none of these sleep-inducing objects are blue and she lets Mama know. Mama, however, recognizes that it's not the color that soothes Alice, but the process of sharing beautiful, simple objects with her mother. When Alice comments on the absence of blue, Mama merely suggests that she smell, taste, or touch what she's brought into the room: Alice, in the moment, slowly, drifts off to sleep. As she lies sleepily and cozy in bed, surrounded by her mother's nighttime gifts, her room turns blue.
This Charlotte Zolotow Award winner works well as a one-on-one bedtime story, young listeners will be nestle under their covers while listening to this remarkable story.
Interest Level: Preschool - First Grade
Alice, of course, recognizes that none of these sleep-inducing objects are blue and she lets Mama know. Mama, however, recognizes that it's not the color that soothes Alice, but the process of sharing beautiful, simple objects with her mother. When Alice comments on the absence of blue, Mama merely suggests that she smell, taste, or touch what she's brought into the room: Alice, in the moment, slowly, drifts off to sleep. As she lies sleepily and cozy in bed, surrounded by her mother's nighttime gifts, her room turns blue.
This Charlotte Zolotow Award winner works well as a one-on-one bedtime story, young listeners will be nestle under their covers while listening to this remarkable story.
Interest Level: Preschool - First Grade
September 25, 2019
Little Alice loves blue things. In fact, she only wants blue things. Luckily her mama knows best and helps Alice use her senses to explore lots of things that aren't...well...blue.
October 21, 2008
Tricia Tusa is one of those illustrators with a wonderful, gestural style, whose work I always feel like I've seen before. Her Alice reminds me of the little girl in How to Make a Ni...oops yes well that's because Tricia Tusa illustrated How to Make a Night. Well that was a good night-time book too. Maybe somebody's pigeonholed Tricia Tusa as a go-to-bed illustrator. Weirder things have happened. Eric Carle has his own museum.
In this book, Alice says she can only sleep in a blue room. Her Mama (a very patient, loving mama, by the way) brings her four items to soothe her senses: flowers, tea, a soft quilt, and a windchime, and then, as Alice is finally just barely hanging on to consciousness, she turns off the light and the room is bathed in blue moonlight. The last pages show Alice's house on the Earth and the Earth in space, in a celestial "blue room".
You want to get some sleep? I'm telling you - this is one sweet, soothing big blue marble glass of warm milk.
In this book, Alice says she can only sleep in a blue room. Her Mama (a very patient, loving mama, by the way) brings her four items to soothe her senses: flowers, tea, a soft quilt, and a windchime, and then, as Alice is finally just barely hanging on to consciousness, she turns off the light and the room is bathed in blue moonlight. The last pages show Alice's house on the Earth and the Earth in space, in a celestial "blue room".
You want to get some sleep? I'm telling you - this is one sweet, soothing big blue marble glass of warm milk.
March 10, 2012
In a Blue Room is such a magical bed time story! Just reading it makes me want to take a nap. This is a picture book for both nursery and primary readers. Alice is unable to go to sleep because she wants to sleep in a blue room. Her mom brings multiple things of multiple colors, all of which Alice wishes were blue. Orange tea, a green quilt, and yellow bells are among the things her mom bring to aid her to sleep. The last thing her mom does is just what was needed to make a blue room for Alice. I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations by Tusa in this book. They are so beautiful and blended. The descriptive language used by Averbeck allows me to make a vivid picture in my head of each and every page. This is a good story to read before nap time or to teach about colors. Also, this story could be used to introduce the five senses. Alice’s senses are stimulated by flowers, tea, a quilt, bells, and the moon.
March 2, 2011
Very charming story about Alice, the girl who has trouble going to sleep because everything in her room is not blue. Her mother tries a lot of things to help her relax and to go to sleep, but Alice is waiting. Blue color actually comes from the moon which comes through the window and changes all colors in her room. Then, it is time to close her eyes and go to sleep.
I really like this book; I think it is good for a bed time or free read. Illustrations make a story magical.
I really like this book; I think it is good for a bed time or free read. Illustrations make a story magical.
August 8, 2011
A little girl cannot sleep unless her room is blue. Her mom loving tries to soothe her with flowers, quilts, and tea but none of things are blue. As the little girl gets more sleepy, the mother turns out the lights, the moon comes in and colors everything blue.
Beautifully illustrated, very soothing and gentle, to match the text.
Beautifully illustrated, very soothing and gentle, to match the text.
March 28, 2017
A sweet lullaby-like story of give and take between mother and daughter at bedtime. The ultimate procrastinator story, but with a rhythmic text which lulls the reader to a sleepy ending. The energetic art perfectly reflects the mindset of the main character and slows the pace by the end. Lovely addition to bedtime rituals.
July 29, 2011
A quick bedtime story. At the start of the story my daughter looked at me and said "her room is not blue". When we were done reading we turned out our lights & opened our window to see if our room looked blue.
January 16, 2018
Alice can only sleep in a blue room. Her mother brings her flowers, tea, and a quilt, but none of them are blue. Soon enough the moon in the twilight sky shine the perfect shade of blue into her room, and Alice is able to go to sleep.
December 22, 2008
Caldecott contender 2008. A girl explains that she can only sleep when her room is blue.
December 19, 2008
a calming story, i think it just lowered my blood pressure.
January 15, 2012
I randomly pulled this book off the shelf at the library. I'm so glad that I did. It is beautiful.
Read this book to your child before bed.
Read this book to your child before bed.
August 26, 2015
This book was beautiful and enchanting. The illustrations, however, were a bit stronger than the text.
February 23, 2017
I did not expect to fall in love with this, but I did.. lovely before bed story.
September 1, 2017
Serene, tranquil, and soothing...all these describe this lovely bedtime book.
July 28, 2019
Ah, the rituals of bedtime. Beautiful story - the room is blue when the lights are out and the moon in shining in the window. The Illustrations are extraordinary.
November 21, 2016
Not a bad story to fall asleep to.
It's cute. A little girl says, "I can only sleep in a blue room. Blue is my favorite." Her mother keeps bringing her different things to smell, feel, taste, and listen to. "It's not blue, though!" The girl gets sleepier and sleepier, and finally her mother turns out the light and the moon's light makes everything look blue. And then she goes to sleep. The end.
This is odd because the moon is not blue. I guess you could imagine it was blue if you were a little kid, but darkness isn't blue. It's a strange ending. The kid being obsessed with something like that is very realistic, especially nighttime rituals, but the girl is demanding something that doesn't exist. The walls of her room aren't even blue; they're yellow. The only thing blue in the room is the blanket that she is playing with.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
It's cute. A little girl says, "I can only sleep in a blue room. Blue is my favorite." Her mother keeps bringing her different things to smell, feel, taste, and listen to. "It's not blue, though!" The girl gets sleepier and sleepier, and finally her mother turns out the light and the moon's light makes everything look blue. And then she goes to sleep. The end.
This is odd because the moon is not blue. I guess you could imagine it was blue if you were a little kid, but darkness isn't blue. It's a strange ending. The kid being obsessed with something like that is very realistic, especially nighttime rituals, but the girl is demanding something that doesn't exist. The walls of her room aren't even blue; they're yellow. The only thing blue in the room is the blanket that she is playing with.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
September 26, 2017
This book was pretty good but I don't think it's the type of book that you could read over and over to the same kids. It was cool to see how the mom encouraged the daughter to use all of her different senses when it came to things. It was cute how at the end of the book it all comes full circle with everything turning blue because the lights are off and that could potentially be helpful for a kid that's scared of the dark.
October 18, 2018
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.
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