The Blue Day Book For Kids: A Lesson In Cheering Yourself Up
by Bradley Trevor Greive
Andrews McMeel, 2005. ISBN: 0740750232
My rating: 
Have you ever had a blue day?
A blue day is a day when nothing goes right and you feel kind of lousy.
You might feel grumpy,
lonely,
really shy,
or just plain pooped.
--The Blue Day Book for Kids, by Bradley Trevor Greive, p. 1-7.
This enjoyable book tells readers in a fun, kid-centric way, what it's like to feel grumpy, lonely, or out of sorts, things that can make you feel that way, and some concrete suggestions on what can help. Amusing photographs of animals help keep the light, fun tone to this book. The photos may also help readers more easily identify with the emotions and what is being said, since they are not as directly challenging as illustrations of people.
Greive's text uses colloquial and conversational language, with understanding asides ("Grown-ups don't always understand how hard it is to share." "How come no one makes you share your Brussels sprouts?") and insider comments ("Feeling like you don't fit in can really bring on a blue day, which is like being sick but not knowing what hurts."), to create an easy-to-understand awareness of a down day, and a fun way to absorb the information. The text is broken up for each photo, some photos accompanied by a word or two, others by a partial sentence, and others by a few sentences; there is a nice movement to the text. The text rarely ever feels like there is too much per page; mostly it flows beautifully and feels just right.
Funny black-and-white stock photographs of animals perfectly match each bit of text they are paired with, from a disgruntled gorilla with its arms crossed paired with "you might feel grumpy," to a tiny kitten with its forearms over a large dumbbell, as if it can't lift it up, paired with "Everything seems impossible on a blue day," to open mouthed zebras looking like they're singing, paired with "But if you don't feel like resting, try singing your favourite songs as loud as you can."
The photos used are stock photos by various professional photographers; although the front matter of the book mentions a site where you can view the credit details of the photographers, it would have been a nice and respectful touch to include those photographers' credits in the back of the book.
This book provides an insider understanding of what it's like to feel down, grumpy, or blue, and concrete, valuable suggestions on what you can do to change your mood—all in a fun, entertaining package. Good for people of all ages. Highly recommended.
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