Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, Daniel Minter
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on February 15, 2022
ISBN: 1984894366
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond has teamed with Maine illustrator Daniel Minter to produce a picture book tracing the history of the color blue. Not only is the history fascinating, but the illustrations are breathtaking. Blue is not only the most expensive color to make but it has become more than a color. It is a feeling, a music genre, a symbol of royalty, and when we say “out of the blue” it denotes something rare. The history of blue goes back thousands of years, from the ancient Egyptians who wore the lapis lazuli blue stone as jewelry and later as makeup around their eyes. Years later, artists used the crushed rocks as paints. Always available to only the rich, throughout history people sought an inexpensive way to produce this color. Author and illustrator work together to make the text easily understood and the illustrations of acrylic wash on heavy watercolor paper make what could be a rather dry story come to life. This is STEAM at its best! Use this in art and music classes, geology units, and as a general history lesson. It is a book to be looked at for general pleasure. It may not fit easily into a single category but it should be in every library.

Reviewed by Kathy George, retired children’s librarian