Blue

Suzanne Kaufman, who has illustrated a number of children’s books (All Are Welcome, Hello Dog), makes her solo debut with Blue, a fantasy about a young boy who befriends a blue heron. It’s hard not to be enchanted by those alluring, seemingly magical creatures, which are notoriously skittish around humans. In this tale, however, when the boy spots one at sunrise, they instantly bond. First, he tiptoes closer and imitates the bird’s stance. Soon they are following and mimicking each other, having a grand time splashing, shrieking and swimming together as the day goes by. 

By the time the sun sets, the boy is calling his new BFF “Blue,” and is sad to see him fly away. As darkness falls, Blue returns, this time taking the boy on a wondrous flight over the ocean. They rise up toward the gleaming moon—“above campfires and shooting stars, we SOAR.” Eventually, as the sun rises once again, the pair return to earth. They part once more, but as the young narrator says, it’s “good night but not goodbye.” 

Kaufman’s immersive art will captivate young readers, and her gentle tale is particularly good for bedtime reading. The boy’s antics are endearingly comical, full of childlike energy, while the majestic bird remains mysterious. Kaufman’s pages are awash with gorgeous shades of blue that draw readers in, while splashes of color accentuate details like the sun’s reflection on the water, the yellow of the heron’s beak and the red glow of a shooting star. Her playful, loose style is perfectly suited for this make-believe adventure—including real details about herons and their environment, while adding imaginary gestures such as the heron’s friendly, delighted glances at his new friend. Expressive linework adds bursts of energy throughout in the curls of the boy’s hair, the frothy waves of the ocean and swaying reeds of seagrass. 

Blue will leave young readers with a newfound appreciation for and curiosity about blue herons and their watery worlds—and a desire to fly away with their own feathery friend.