The Blue Day Book
A book review
by Chris Hibbard
The Blue Day Book: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up
by Bradley Trevor Greive (2000)
The Blue Day Book is a wonderful collection of poetic inspirational text good for all ages and guaranteed to lift the spirits of anyone who’s feeling lousy. It is truly not possible to get through the entire thing without cracking a smile, no matter how bad your day was, or how grumpy you are, or how much you think that life sucks.
This book is a prescription for the blues, a literary and visual form of Prozac. It recognizes that every little failure, loss, or doubt we might feel is shared with others – even those that don’t walk on two legs. It acknowledges the little silly parts of our lives, and revels in the human ability to rebound from any situation.
As for teaching, it could be used in a poetry unit in many grades. It could be used in Health/ Life classes in high schools. It could be read aloud to pre-schoolers and kindergarten kids, who just love the pictures.
Using less that 100 sentences, this book is simply a compassionate, hilarious, and non-judgemental one that is simple and charming. Any human being on the planet – no matter where they are, what religion or background they are from; no matter how sick or how poor they are; can gain a lot from keeping this book nearby. It is truly universal.
