Out of the Blue: A heartwarming picture book about celebrating difference

by Robert Tregoning, Stef Murphy (Illustrator)

Overview

ONLY BLUE ALLOWED, by Blue government demand.
Anything that isn't blue, by colour law, is banned.

In a very blue house on a very blue street, sits a little boy who feels as blue as the world around him.
For this little boy has a BIG secret: he loves the colour yellow.

In a world where only one colour is allowed, will he be brave enough to tell his dad? And will they be able to defy the rules and create a world where EVERY colour is welcome?
One boy and his dad are about to come OUT OF THE BLUE and into life in technicolour!

A stunning celebration of being yourself and living in ALL the colours of the rainbow, from debut author Robert Tregoning and rising star illustrator Stef Murphy. Championing difference, diversity and pride, this gloriously illustrated picture book is perfect for fans of Perfectly Norman, Grandad's Camper and Julian Is a Mermaid.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526627957
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	02/16/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Robert Tregoning studied at the Glasgow School of Art before leaping in to a career on the West End stage. He has appeared in stage shows including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes, and the Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda the Musical.

As an LGBTQ+ writer, Robert hopes to help children and adults alike to accept and celebrate all that makes us uniquely ourselves. The stories Robert writes are stories he wishes he could have read as a child. He hopes they provide a voice of recognition, validation and kindness to those who need it.

Stef Murphy is a freelance illustrator and storyteller living in London. She loves drawing animals and making up stories, and she has illustrated books including The Fire Fox by Alexandra Page. Out of the Blue is her first book for Bloomsbury.

Editorial Reviews

. . . sweet, catered to add to queer-friendly story times about acceptance and love. . . Murphy's digital art is quiet and subtly beautiful as the pages transition from cool, melancholic blues to page-popping swirls of yellow to the eventual full-rainbow world. Additionally, the rhythmic text lends this book a smooth and satisfying cadence that contribute to its group story time appeal.” —BCCB

“Encourages children (and by extension, their parents, caregivers, and teachers) to embrace and celebrate the differences that make them unique.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

2023-02-25
A boy likes different colors.

An unnamed “worried little boy” with light skin and messy brown hair lives “in a very BLUE house, / on a very blue street.” In his monochrome world, skin and hair tones remain natural, but there are “workers / painting trees and grass” to turn them blue, and diverse children on litter duty toss anything otherwise colored into the trash. There’s little explanation about the hows and whys of this tame dystopia, and the limits of the clunkily metered rhyme prevent the story from going into any depth. The boy loves the color yellow but keeps it a secret, because “in his heart he felt that / loving YELLOW must be / BAD.” He hides all the yellow things he can find in his closet—many adults will see this framing as a metaphor for queerness. At night the boy throws all his yellow things around his room and dances amid the chaos. His father catches him, and though the boy is initially afraid, Dad comforts him, and with his influence, the town eventually becomes multicolored. It’s a contrived attempt to talk about conformity and diversity. The unanswered questions raised by the idea of an all-blue world are potentially interesting but ignored in favor of the familiar “be yourself” message. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Attempts to convey a much-needed lesson, but the execution is as monotonous as its palette. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews