Book Review – Everybody Gets the Blues

In Other Words stocks a variety of titles for children and families in our book store.

Jaclyn, one of our marvelous volunteers, has written some reviews for you! This week she takes a look at Everybody Gets the Blues by Leslie Staub, illustrated by R. G. Roth.

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This simple, rhythmic story teaches children that it’s okay to just feel sad sometimes. The trumpet-playing “Blues Man” takes one little boy on a flying adventure where they find out that everybody gets the blues and that we can all support one another in our feelings. In the end, “we notice tears have passed, our hearts are light, the sky is vast!”

The author is a native of New Orleans, and her personal experience living through Hurricane Katrina inspired her to write this story. The book is also beautifully illustrated with a variety of textures and a collage-like aesthetic. The musical overtones of New Orleans are woven throughout the pages, leaving one with the sense that the blues are an integral and beautiful part of living.

Image source: Seven Impossible Things

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Read any good books lately? You can share your review with Portland’s feminist community by contacting communications@inotherwords.org.