Courage of the Blue Boy

Summary: Courage of the Blue Boy is about a boy who lives in a blue land. He starts to think that there must be more than blue, and goes on an adventure seeking out other colors. One day, he finds a city that is filled with many colors, but blue is missing. The blue boy is frightened and retreats to his room. However, he collects the courage to push out blue ideas out of his door. The next time he goes out to the city, he sees that there are little bits of blue everywhere, and starts to appreciate the diversity of the many colors, while embracing his unique identity.

Reflections: I chose this book because it places real social issues in a context that is easy to understand for younger children. The use of bright colors helps to carry the storyline and is appealing to the eye. I think that young children will be able to relate to the Blue Boy through some aspect of their lives, when they felt different and scared. The courage of the Blue Boy is something that I would like all of my students to model because I believe that every child has something unique to offer.

How would I use the book/curriculum units: This book can be used in the sense of multicultural education, as an introductory book to open discussions about social issues that exist in our society. It can be used to demonstrate the significance of personally identity through a character study. In addition, this book can be used in the beginning of the year while initially building a classroom community. It reinforces the fact that even though individuals can be different, they have special things to offer to the community.

Domains of Social Justice: This is a great book that demonstrates self-love and acceptance (1). The main character’s development shows how individuals can make a contribution to society while keeping in touch with their identity. In addition, this book can be used symbolically to explore issues of social justice (2) by discussing how similar issues relate in our society. The courage of the Blue Boy also demonstrates social change (3) and can be used to empower students to create change.