For almost a month
I have been trying to
Find the words for this review
The words to describe
How wonderful
Out of the Blue
By Robert Tregoning
And Stef Murphy truly is
An uplifting rhyming story
For young readers
About embracing our differences
And not being afraid to be who we are

This book has a striking design
The blue and yellow work so well
The yellow pops out of the blue
Like happiness out of sadness
Showing light coming out of the dark
The blue and yellow always
Make me think of Ukraine
And the awful war people there
Are facing

Out of the blue
Tells the tale of a little boy
Who lives in a world
Ruled by Blue Government
Who have created a law
To ban anything that isn’t blue
The roads are blue
The houses
Trees and grass all blue

ONLY BLUE ALLOWED

This is a clever story
That packs a powerful punch
Showing children
That bullies come in all shapes and sizes
Bullies are not always one person
Or a small group
Sometimes official bodies, governments, nations
Can be bullies and oppressors
This can lead to people feeling
Worried and scared
Just for being who they are

Out of the Blue is a story
That shows little readers
The importance of
Standing up to bullies
Of standing up what you believe

This is a story that shows children
They are perfect just as they are
No matter what they like
Or who they love
No matter how they feel
They are enough
They are okay
More than okay
Just exactly as they are

This is story that celebrate diversity
That shines a light on the importance of inclusion
And the beauty to be found in our differences

At the centre of this story there are two heroes
Two who together who make a stand
And remind little readers
That there is a hero inside of them too
We can all accept and love ourselves
And accept and love others
We can all find the courage
To make a stand for ourselves
And to stand up for those we love
To accept those close to us as they are
And love them for who they are

Out of the Blue is a story of self acceptance
Through the young boy in this book
Little readers learn that it is okay to be yourself
To love yourself
Exactly as you are
Though sometimes it can take great courage
To share your whole self with the world

“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!”

Edie and I love this story
Of a little boy loving yellow
In a world that only allows blue
Edie understands that it is wrong
For anyone to dictate to others
What they must like
How they must live
She understands that everyone
Should be able to feel safe and free
With my older children I have talked more
About how this story is an allegory
For oppressions of one group of people
By another group of people
Their experience means they link this story
To Ukraine
To The Holocaust
The blue over yellow
Made us think of Nazis
And the yellow star of David
Worn by the Jews
This led us to talking about
All the other people
Persecuted by the Nazis
During World War II
That led us on to talking
About freedom to follow a faith
And freedom to love
Who we choose to love
And how Robert Tregoning
Was inspired to write this story
By his own experience of growing up gay
Under the section 28 law

This story champions difference, diversity and pride
It is a brilliant and beautiful story
With a clear message at its heart

“LIFE is like a RAINBOW
We all love different things.
So celebrate your difference
And enjoy the joy love brings.

Whether you love YELLOW,
Or whether you love BLUE …
Let YOUR colours SHINE and love
Whatever makes you
YOU!”

In this brilliant and beautiful story
With stunning artwork
We see that we all can be heroes

The little boy in this story is a hero for being true to himself
The father is a hero for loving, nurturing, guiding
And publicly supporting his son
The community are heroes for coming together
To embrace and celebrate their differences

This story shows us all that
Together we are stronger
Together we can stand up to bullies and oppressors
Whoever they might be
Together we can make the world a safer
Much brighter place to be free

I think this book will help so many little readers
And their grown ups

I hope that this book can inspire us all
To be the change we want to see in the world

I hope that this story will spark courage in readers
To help them be brave enough to be themselves
And to let their true colours shine
For all the world to see