Becoming Blue

This wonderful story on self-acceptance is about a blue square, aptly named Blue, who wants nothing more than to be like his friend Red. Red is always doing something amazing, such as putting out a fire, being a fire, or having the ability to stop all the traffic with one word. Red has all the confidence when telling jokes, Blue did not. And when Red was sad or mad, she showed strong emotions. Blue tried to copy his friend to be just like her, but he can never quite get it right. For Blue, trying to be Red just isn’t as easy as Red seems to make it.

One day, while cutting out red valentines in the shape of a heart, Red gets mad at Blue and tells him to stop copying her and just be Blue. Blue doesn’t know what she means by this. What does being Blue mean? Thinking very hard, he discovers that being Blue could be a soft, flowing river but also a bright blue sky. Blue could be birds or clear thoughts and sad but calming songs. He realizes he can even help his friend Red with putting out fires. Blue and Red go back to play together again, and they soon discover what it means to be Purple together.

Becoming Blue is a delightfully fun book that all ages will enjoy reading together. With the illustrations rendered in simple yet bright colours, young readers will delight in pointing out all the objects that aren’t supposed to be blue. Older readers will enjoy the clever jokes and comparisons between blue and red objects. Julien Chung does a wonderful job in giving Red and Blue such simple expressions that, nevertheless, convey a lot of emotion throughout the story. Readers will be able to see how Blue tries so hard to be like Red, and his dismay when he isn’t able to do everything that Red can. However, the most important message of Becoming Blue is about self-discovery and embracing your own unique qualities. Being different doesn't mean you cannot play with others; instead, it means using your differences to help each other out and even discover new things together. This story offers the perfect opportunity to talk about self-love and openly accepting others’ differences.