Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky
- Downloads：8013
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-14 01:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
- ISBN：1984894366
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ann Haefele
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The color blue’s history is traced from 4500 BC to its roots during slavery to the growing of indigo in the south。 Possible explanations are included of why we’re “blue” when we’re sad and why excitement shows in the phrase of “out of the blue”。 More facts about the color blue are included at the end in the author’s note。 The intricate and detailed illustrations add to the text。 Learned lots I did not know about “blue”。
Katie Lawrence
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An absolutely fascinating exploration of the many ways blue dye has been created， the ways blue inspires us in our descriptions of everything from emotion to music， the horrible treatment of slaves who worked on plantations to produce blue dye， and the ways blue was incorporated into spiritual life。 The illustrations are immersive with white details overlaying sumptuous， largely blue backgrounds。
Betsy
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Yeah。 I’m just going to jump right into it。Folks， let’s talk about decentering whiteness （bet you didn't see that one coming）。 What does that look like？ Okay， let’s just take a random example。 Um… got it。 So let’s say I had a nonfiction picture book in my hands and it was all about the human history of a single color。 Now if this book were to come out in America， no one would bat an eye if most of the characters seen on the pages inside were white。 I mean， that’s how most of the nonfiction pictu Yeah。 I’m just going to jump right into it。Folks， let’s talk about decentering whiteness （bet you didn't see that one coming）。 What does that look like？ Okay， let’s just take a random example。 Um… got it。 So let’s say I had a nonfiction picture book in my hands and it was all about the human history of a single color。 Now if this book were to come out in America， no one would bat an eye if most of the characters seen on the pages inside were white。 I mean， that’s how most of the nonfiction picture books you find on your library and bookstore shelves look。 Generally speaking， if a book is about Black history or advocacy or biography， then they have Black characters as the predominant race。 But if you get away from that and talk about nature or science or math or art， then white becomes the default。 And if you’re a white person like me， you don’t even notice。 You don’t so much as bat an eye。 Oh sure， there will be the occasional nod to other races， but whiteness is centered。 Now pick up a copy of Blue by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond， illustrated by Daniel Minter。 Here we have a book about the science and complicated history behind this marvelous color。 The writing is excellent， the art jaw-dropping， but it is the fact that the text and the art shift the focus from the typically all-white worlds of picture book nonfiction into something different， that really catches the eye and makes you start to think。 Because maybe， just maybe， there’s a future out there where white doesn’t automatically become the default all the time。 Blue is giving us a glimpse of just that and it's teaching some other valuable lessons along the way。When you find blue in nature， only rarely can you touch it。 You can’t touch the sky， after all， and if you cup the sea in your hands， the water there isn’t blue。 Yet throughout our history we’ve tried to capture the color for our own。 Whether it was the Egyptians wearing lapis lazuli， dyers crushing snails to get a single drop or two， or the blue threads of a Jewish tekhelet， blue carries significance in its hue。 So when indigo from India and West Africa started to be traded， it was linked to slavery。 The cash crop led to misery in India， Bangladesh， and the United States。 A chemical blue， discovered in 1905， helped make it universal。 Yet when you think of someone being blue， or the music of the blues， is it any wonder that it’s had such a complex history？ With deft wordplay and meticulous art “Blue” redefines the color we take all too often for granted。 What Brew-Hammond has to do in this book is so complicated。 Essentially， her job here is to first do the standard move of providing history and context。 She covers Egypt and the Phoenicians， Mexico and Liberia。 Then， roughly halfway through the book， indigo makes its appearance and everything shifts。 With indigo comes cheaper dyes。 With cheaper dyes comes increased demand。 And since we’re talking about the past， slavery appears and the story has to encompass that aspect。 Here in America， slavery is so frequently linked to cotton that our kids could be forgiven for being surprised that another crop would cause the same levels of misery。 A synthetic blue is eventually developed， but the book doesn’t just forget about the history that has dogged the color。 There’s this elegant shift to “the blues”， and Minter cleverly presents a blues singer with indigo flowers woven into her hair and embroidered on her dress。 And you could end it all there， but then blue becomes associated with good things again， blue ribbons and surprises that come “out of the blue”。 It's a marvelous melding， in both the art and the words， of the good and the bad together。It was with great satisfaction that I watched as Daniel Minter won a 2020 Caldecott Honor for Going Down Home With Daddy。 Though I’d read previous books of his （like So Tall Within） it was that book that stood out for me。 But when I look at his work in Blue， the book it resembles most closely is definitely Minter’s The Women Who Caught the Babies， by Eloise Greenfield， which is another nonfiction picture book about midwives。 Maybe it's because of the prevalence of blue in both books， but I think it also has a lot to do with the ways in which Minter tackles nonfiction subject matter。 This is a man unafraid to make facts pretty。 His art always presents more than you’d find in the text。 Some （many） nonfiction illustrators take the text at face value。 If a page were about the blue found in the belly of a shellfish， they would draw the shellfish。 When Minter does it， however， he breaks the page down into a range of different parts。 In the center he places a Phoenician statue of a dog with a snail in its mouth。 To the sides are white outlines of people and wonderful reeds and birds and leaves。 There’s only one spot of blue on the whole page， but your eye goes right to it。 Minter stands out because when he accessorizes a scene， what he adds only embellishes。 It never detracts or distracts。 It’s a fine line that he walks like a friggin’ tightrope walker。 A couple years ago I remember listening to an episode of the podcast Radiolab named Why Isn’t the Sky Blue？ It took a deep dive into the color， noting that in ancient texts like The Odyssey or The Illiad there are no mentions of the color blue。 In the course of the show you learn that across all cultures， words for colors appear in stages。 And blue？ Blue always comes last。 Maybe it has to do with the sheer difficulty of capturing it and stabilizing it。 And while on the outset they haven’t much in common， there’s another 2022 picture book release that I wouldn’t mind pairing alongside Blue。 Lindsay Ward’s Pink Is Not a Color doesn’t take as deep a dive into its shade as Blue does， but both books revel in upsetting expectations and upending the myths surrounding their colors。 Tonally they couldn’t be more different， but it’s that very difference that might make them a good pairing together。 For the enterprising art teacher it’s something to consider。 To understand why I think that this book has a chance to make a difference in this world， you need only look at how the book ends。 The final line in the book sticks the landing and sticks it hard。 It reads， “Maybe because blue has such a complicated history of pain， wealth， invention， and recovery， it’s become a symbol of possibility， as vast and deep as the bluest sea， and as wide open and high as the bluest sky。” So the book is acknowledging this complicated past， but ending on a note of hope for kids。 Right now， we’re living in an age where certain people in this country are attempting to remove any books that touch on our country’s complicated past。 Books like this one are the antidote to such simplistic thinking， in more ways than one。 I can only hope and pray it gets into the hands of the kids out there that need its message。 Which is to say， all of them。 。。。more
Stacy Hickson
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This is a must read and a great addition to a child’s library！ I know you should never judge a book by its cover， but I can’t help it。 Between the colors and the subject I was immediately drawn in。 The story behind the beautiful illustrations really helped me to see the progression of blue throughout history。
Dan
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Blue was absolutely fascinating。
Sarah BT
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This book is gorgeous and fascinating。 I want to more history of colors books！
Moonkiszt
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Featured in a grandma reads session。If you love blue， you'll love the pages in this book。 。 。 。while they tell the history of humans and blue， the colors melt off the page and into your room， wherever you are reading and all things blue pop out at you。 The kiddos enjoyed it， as there are a number of blue fanatics！ All shades of blue considered， and origins from the beginning of time， through the techno blues we have thanks to chemicals and technology。How many stars I asked。 。 。 。FIVE！ they shout Featured in a grandma reads session。If you love blue， you'll love the pages in this book。 。 。 。while they tell the history of humans and blue， the colors melt off the page and into your room， wherever you are reading and all things blue pop out at you。 The kiddos enjoyed it， as there are a number of blue fanatics！ All shades of blue considered， and origins from the beginning of time， through the techno blues we have thanks to chemicals and technology。How many stars I asked。 。 。 。FIVE！ they shouted。 It was a hit。 。。。more
Rakisha
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Indescribably beautiful， informative， and inspiring。 A piece of art in book form。
Margaret
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It has been so cold the past few mornings， breath frosts hair and the collar on coats when early morning walks are taken。 The air is clear and still。 Snow crunches under the weight of boots。 The color of the sky， cloudless， asks you to stop and stare at its breathtaking beauty。 Even though you've seen it before， you ask yourself if there has ever been a blue so brilliant。For now， as the snows of winter cover nearly everything， the only natural blue is that found in the waters of the surrounding It has been so cold the past few mornings， breath frosts hair and the collar on coats when early morning walks are taken。 The air is clear and still。 Snow crunches under the weight of boots。 The color of the sky， cloudless， asks you to stop and stare at its breathtaking beauty。 Even though you've seen it before， you ask yourself if there has ever been a blue so brilliant。For now， as the snows of winter cover nearly everything， the only natural blue is that found in the waters of the surrounding lakes， not frozen， and the sky。 Soon as birds return from their annual migrations， blue will filt and glide from place to place。 As flowers push from the earth and buds blossom， even more blue will appear。 Blue: A History Of The Color As Deep As The Sea And As Wide As The Sky （Alfred A。 Knopf， February 15， 2022） written by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond with illustrations by Daniel Minter is a gorgeous portrait of the history of this color。 You will be transported through time and place。 My full recommendation: https://librariansquest。blogspot。com/。。。 。。。more
Sarah Sammis
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Previous books that cover pigments focus primarily on three things: time in history， location， and source of the pigment。 It might also include who used said pigment and some famous pieces of art or other well known uses。 These books are also usually focused on the European art history narrative。Blue bucks the trend。 Yes， it includes the usual what， where and when but it also takes time to address the human costs。 It addresses how labor intensive these pigments can be。 It talks frankly about how Previous books that cover pigments focus primarily on three things: time in history， location， and source of the pigment。 It might also include who used said pigment and some famous pieces of art or other well known uses。 These books are also usually focused on the European art history narrative。Blue bucks the trend。 Yes， it includes the usual what， where and when but it also takes time to address the human costs。 It addresses how labor intensive these pigments can be。 It talks frankly about how slavery made indigo such a successful and profitable business to be in。http://pussreboots。com/blog/2022/comm。。。 。。。more
Barbara
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I might pair this one， 3。5 for me， with Laura Vaccaro Seeger's much simpler picture book， Blue， since both focus on this color that seems so popular。 With expansive illustrations of layered acrylic wash， this one does exactly what it title promises， providing a history of the color blue。 As lovely as this tint is， it can be hard to capture since the blue sky is unattainable and the blue water isn't blue at all once it drips through someone's cupped hands and fingertips。 Even for readers whose fa I might pair this one， 3。5 for me， with Laura Vaccaro Seeger's much simpler picture book， Blue， since both focus on this color that seems so popular。 With expansive illustrations of layered acrylic wash， this one does exactly what it title promises， providing a history of the color blue。 As lovely as this tint is， it can be hard to capture since the blue sky is unattainable and the blue water isn't blue at all once it drips through someone's cupped hands and fingertips。 Even for readers whose favorite color is green or red or some other one， this picture book will provide enough information to make them appreciate the wonders of blue。 It may surprise readers that Afghanistan was one of the first places where blue was unearthed， followed by its use by Egyptians and individuals around the world。 Because it was rare and hard to produce， blue became even more precious， and the author describes many of the methods humans used to make blue， even planting indigo plants that required much labor to grow and harvest， labor that was performed by enslaved individuals。 Once a scientist was able to concoct a chemical blue， the color was affordable， but the author conjectures that its history gave rise to certain emotions and music as well as turns of phrase。 I know that I'm not alone in being intrigued by the origin of words and phrases so all of this seems possible。 It's mind-blowing to think that a color that was once so rare， costly， and even associated with sacred rituals and clothing could end up being rather commonplace in today's ubiquitous blue jeans。 To stimulate further interest， the author provides additional facts and musings in the afterword as well as references for those who want to learn more。 This picture book might be useful in an art or history lesson or maybe even as inspiration for a writing prompt。 Or it could simply give readers awareness of how one color has evolved and come to mean so much to so many over the course of history。 。。。more
A。
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The surprising， painstaking， and brutal history behind this royal hue is explored with powerful illustrations that reflect blue's global importance and connection to nature as well as our emotions。 The surprising， painstaking， and brutal history behind this royal hue is explored with powerful illustrations that reflect blue's global importance and connection to nature as well as our emotions。 。。。more
Cindy Dobrez
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You won't look at your blue jeans in the same way after reading this gorgeous introduction to the history of the color blue。 Make sure your art teachers see this one！ You won't look at your blue jeans in the same way after reading this gorgeous introduction to the history of the color blue。 Make sure your art teachers see this one！ 。。。more
Bryan Loar
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An intriguing exploration of how the color blue has been produced， its significance， and cultural/social ramifications。 Includes additional back matter。 A digital advanced reader copy was reviewed。
Tam I
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Read an ARC。 Beautiful illustrations。 So much to learn about what I though was a simple color。
Anna
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Thank you Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book！ Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond's well researched text about the rich history of the color blue is complimented beautifully by Daniel Minter's artwork。 The full cover jacket alone is GORGEOUS; Daniel Minter is super talented。 This book leads readers on a historical trip to different countries of the world regarding origins of the color blue。 From Cleopatra's using crushed blue powder in her makeup to pressing snails feet in Mexico to extract a few d Thank you Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book！ Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond's well researched text about the rich history of the color blue is complimented beautifully by Daniel Minter's artwork。 The full cover jacket alone is GORGEOUS; Daniel Minter is super talented。 This book leads readers on a historical trip to different countries of the world regarding origins of the color blue。 From Cleopatra's using crushed blue powder in her makeup to pressing snails feet in Mexico to extract a few drops of color from snails。 Blue will make a great addition to a library collection for elementary ages。 If you like The Story of Salt by Mark Kurlansky， you will probably enjoy this one。 It has a similar feel to it。 。。。more
Cathy
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The pictures and the research of how we made blue。 。 。fabulous
Pam
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I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children’s Books through the Fall Day of Dialogue。Bre-Hammond takes readers through the rich history of the color blue。 Readers see how difficult it was to recreate this color that appears so freely in nature。 The text is sensitively written for elementary level readers to process the darker sides of this color's history。 Readers travel from 4500BC through current time and learn about the various ways humans have found to create blue。 Lovely illustr I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children’s Books through the Fall Day of Dialogue。Bre-Hammond takes readers through the rich history of the color blue。 Readers see how difficult it was to recreate this color that appears so freely in nature。 The text is sensitively written for elementary level readers to process the darker sides of this color's history。 Readers travel from 4500BC through current time and learn about the various ways humans have found to create blue。 Lovely illustrations capture the pain and joy that surround this color。 Don't miss the facts included at the end of the book for further growth， and the references for further study。 。。。more
Bozhena Levine
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